Sixdayoldstring Music Technologies Official sound samples and video demos

These are my guitar pedals in action, used by yours truly and some of the most brilliant musicians I personally know.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=1007305

http://www.youtube.com/user/sixdayoldstring

Downgrading

A few weeks ago, I have spotted an interesting electric guitar on a local music forum. It really looks like the one I have lost around 6years ago. And because it had triggered lots of memories, I decided to buy it.

The guitar isn't a very well known brand. I have researched the wood used in that guitar and the body turned out to be alder, a sought after wood for its pronounced upper midrange. The neck is made of maple, fretboard is rosewood. It has a H-S-S pickup configuration and is equipped with a licensed Floyd Rose bridge. And it is Japan made.

When I got the guitar, I can definitely say that this is the worst setup I've seen with guitars. The Floyd Rose bridge routing is a disaster. The neck pickup was forcibly placed, breaking the pickup cover. Middle pickup is missing, and the previous owner bored a new hole for a Les Paul type of switch, leaving the slot for the blade pickup selector empty. And did I mention the body is full of car stickers?

I decided to send the guitar to a good local luthier for repairs and modifications:
1. Reroute the floyd rose bridge
2. Reset of the neck cavity
3. Refret with medium frets
4. Remove the horn in the cutaway so that I can reach the higher frets easily
5. Place a killswitch and another hole for separate switch
6. Place a customized inlay on the 12th fret
7. Replace the decal in the headstock with a personalized logo
8. Repaint it with white
9. Scallop frets from 15-24frets

I will be the one to get the electronics done, and these will be the modifications:
1. Replace the bridge pickup with either Dimarzio D activator X or GFS Crunchy Rails
2. Bought 2 Artec dual rail single coil sized pickup for the neck and middle
3. Killswitch
4. Install a 3 way switch for pickup selector with bridge-bridge+neck-neck configuration
5. Replace the tone knob with a coil split switch, all 3 pickups are splittable
6. Place a new toggle switch for a bridge/neck-middle switching (since I want to use the middle pickup on live settings without worrying on wrong blade switch position)

I just missed using 6string guitar since I've been using 7strings for around 4-5yrs already. And I want this guitar to be a personal guitar. I'll be posting photos after I get it out of the shop.

The quest for a new amp

For weeks I have been trying to convince that I can get a good clean tone out of a non-Fender amplifier. I spent time going to different music stores, playing through some of the amps that I can try. Of course, modeling amps are out of the choices. I have tried Laneys, Marshalls, Orange, Ibanez, but in my opinion, I can't find the clean tone I was looking for. Fenders, even the solid state amps has the hi-fi sound, and now I can understand why they are that expensive.

Oh well, I'll just settle for a real Fender.

The Bunny's new look

I think this would be much more neat to look at..



no borders anymore..no more fancy graphics..just pure tone..

The Baby Squirrel

I knew there is a need to reduce the Mad Squirrel 2, make it a little more simple but still has the complete basic idea of the squirrel gain. So here is the original idea before it became the MSD-2.



It is still the squirrel tone, without the boost/preamp function. It still has the tone compensator switch, the 3band eq, the gain and the volume.

See it in action here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbiWsleZMWY&feature=channel

First batch of signal processors bound to Singapore

Three weeks has passed after I got home from Singapore. I started reworking my current designs to make them better. After three weeks of circuit freaking, pcb redesigning and a doseful of Johnny Mathis and Gloria Estefan music, I have finished the first batch of my handmade effects processors for Singapore. Here are the photos:








The improvements:

1. MSD-2 improved clarity, responsiveness and versatility. You can dial tones from a fat light overdrive to an ultra high gain new metal and everything in between. Thanks to the additional boost/preamp tone switch.
2. CSE-1 improved clarity yet maintaining the analog feel of the echo.
3. New pedal (DSCS-1) which didn't make it to the set because the unit won't fit the acrylic enclosure. My bad. Maybe next shipping schedule.
4. All pedals have cleaner looks because of the revised aesthetics, though it is still obviously home-made and I prefer it that way.

To those interested, the pedals will be available here before Dec1:
http://www.theeighthnote.com.sg/music%20school/mspage1.htm

The Dancing Sea Cow

The moment I decided to switch to analog stompboxes, I knew I need a special switcher for my needs since I was using a multieffects way back and had no problem in changing patches since it was programmable. I want to build something different, something more for a performer, I want it simple and effective.

Imagine a looper with 2 loops. The first loop would contain the dirt processors you need such as the distortions and overdrives and the equalizers, while the second loop would contain the modulations and delays for your clean settings. The usual bypass loopers can accomodate this. However, switching from the first loop to the second loop would require you to stomp one of the switch to turn it off and then stomp the other switch to turn the other loop on. It will be tricky to stomp on them both at the same time, and the moment you fail to do so, it can lead to a disaster. This is not very friendly for someone performing and needs some "seamless channel switch". Also, to place the two channel in series will require you to stomp on both switch if both is off. An ABY switcher is a different thing though because it only allows you to switch outputs.

Finding a perfect solution for this, the Sea Cow is finally born. Changing from one loop to another won't be troublesome anymore. Just one stomp on the A or B switch and you can change from the first loop to the second loop and vice versa. Place the two loops in series with just one stomp of the A+B switch. Bypass the two loops with just a flick of a switch.



But wait!!There's more!!

What if I just need one loop and a bypass? By default, the empty loop acts as bypass, so you can use just one loop and stomp on A or B to switch from your loop and bypass.

You can also use this as an AB switch, if you need to switch between 2 amps, or between 2 instruments.

And this unit is completely passive so the power supply is just for the indicators.