Saturday
Feb042012
Samamp VAC 40 Series 2 Demo
A review of the newest amp from Samamp. 40 Watts, 2 channels, with various boosts, and the killer VAC power reduction circuit. This is a long video :-)
StevieSnacks Gear Videos
When I first started these lessons, I did a few gear demos showing off my gear setup. While I don't really have an 'official' setup these days, I've left these demos up for an example of how I approached the task of getting 'that' tone at reasonable volumes. I will be adding much more structured advice on tone to this website in the future, but for now, these demos will have to do.
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 9:55AMMonday
Jun272011
Holy Fire Overdrive Demo
The Holy Fire is a really unique sounding overdrive, much like the Mk.4.23 from Creation Audio Labs, the Holy Fire is really transparent, and the overdrive circuit can thicken your tone in a way that's audibly different than any other pedal. In this video, I show you how I use it on my pedalboard.
Wednesday
May252011
MK.4.23 Boost Demo
A demo of one of the cleanest boost pedals you'll find anywhere. This is the 48V model which gives it massive headroom.
Wednesday
May182011
AxeTrak Isolation / Recording Guitar Speaker Cabinet
When I found an office space that could work as a guitar studio, I realized I had to find a way to keep my volume under control. Not just under control, but at times, really, really quiet.
While I had seen isolation cabinets before, most of them are pretty expensive. Then I found the AxeTrak. I requested a demo unit for review purposes, but I knew within 5 minutes of using it that I was going to buy it.
Tuesday
Feb152011
McWah Wah Pedal Demo
A demo of the McWah pedal from Mike McConachie at mccon-o-wah.com. My previous demo using this pedal featured some comments about changing resistors, etc.. all of which you should ignore. I explain why in this video, as well as showing off the sounds of the pedal, both clean and with OD pedals.
Tuesday
Feb082011
Pedaltrain Pedalboards Pro & Mini
Last year, right around Christmas, I went looking for a new pedalboard. This video explains why I purchased not one, but two pedalboards from Pedaltrain. In short, Pedaltrain pedalboards are light, allow for very neat cabling, and the raised design allows me to mount non-standard power supplies to the bottom.
More details below the video...
Monday
Jan242011
Visual Sound Angry Fuzz Demo
A fuzz octave effect is a nice tool to have for any Hendrix inspired guitarist. This video will show off the Angry Fuzz from Visual Sound, a very nice sounding pedal with separate controls over the fuzz and octave levels.
You can hear this kind of effect in use on songs like "Blue On Black" by Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and on "Voodoo Chile' Slight Return" by Stevie Ray Vaughan from the 1989 ACL performance.
Tuesday
Dec282010
Wampler Ecstasy / Fulltone PlimSoul Comparison
This video compares the Ecstasy Overdrive from Wampler Pedals and the PlimSoul from Fulltone. Both are great sounding pedals, but they have different 'personalities' that makes them appropriate for different uses. I've found a place for both of them in my lineup.
Monday
Dec202010
Wampler Pedals Ecstasy Overdrive Demo
A few weeks ago I was given an Ecstasy Overdrive from Wampler Pedals. While I was quite happy with the Fulltone PlimSoul I had just bought, the Ecstasy found a place on my pedalboard because of it's ability to add some subtle distortion to my clean tone, allowing me to play "dirty rhythm" in a way that most OD pedals can not.
The bottom line is that it's a sweet sounding OD pedal at any setting, and is very, very transparent.
Wednesday
Dec152010
SRV / KWS Strat Comparison
A comparison between my SRV Strat and my KWS Strat. Both are designed for the big strings / low tuning style of playing, the SRV Strat has better build quality, and a more transparent, crisp tone.
Tuesday
Dec072010
SRV Strat Highlights
A rundown of the things I like about the Fender Stevie Ray Vaughan Stratocaster.
Tuesday
Nov232010
Fender SRV Strat - "Testify" Demo
This is the first demo of a 2005 Fender Stevie Ray Vaughan Signature Strat which I bought at a guitar show for a great deal. I'm playing the song 'Testify', and using a minimal amount of gear, just guitar, pedal and amp. All recording and gear settings are listed below the video.
Thursday
Nov112010
Fulltone PlimSoul Review
A Great Overdrive/Distortion Pedal
For a long time, I've used a Nobels ODR-S as my main overdrive. It was a good sounding pedal, with a 3 band EQ, which I loved. However, it's been out of production for a while. The Fulltone PlimSoul is one of the first pedals I've tried that I liked enough to use in place of the ODR-S. Here's my review.
Wednesday
Oct062010
DLS RotoSIM Leslie Simulator Pedal
A Great Rotary Speaker Simulator
I bought a used RotoSIM off of Ebay, and after playing around with it for a few weeks, I think it's a keeper. Here's a video showing off all the controls, as well as explaining a bit about what a Leslie is and how a Univibe style pedal is different than the RotoSIM.
Friday
Apr022010
Running Scared Gear Demo
This demo showcases a wah-wah pedal and a set of pickups that I purchased from Mike at Mccon-o-wah.com. The song is called "Running Scared". Complete details about the gear used in this demo are below the video.
Wednesday
Mar242010
Bill M. Blues Jr. Mods Review
Like Having A New Amp
I’ve been asked on numerous occasions what I think of the Bill M. mods for Fender Blues Junior Amps. I could never answer that question because I had not ever heard any of his modded amps.
I finally decided to get some mods done and less than $200 later, it’s like having a brand new amp. The differences are very, very noticeable. Much more bass, a lot more brightness, and far more usable tone controls with more available gain.
Cheaper than a set of great pickups, these mods are a slam dunk in my opinion. Details about what I had done are below the video.
Wednesday
Dec022009
Stauffer Guitars Legend Model
Big Frets, Great Pickups, Custom Built
This is a video profiling the guitar that was built for me by my cousin Joe of Stauffer Guitars. The video explains why the guitar was built and what the main features are.
Tuesday
Nov242009
Fender Blues Junior Tweed NOS
A profile of the amp used in most of my videos on this site.
Saturday
Nov212009
The Sky Is Crying Gear Demo
For this demo, I'm using a Kenny Wayne Shepherd signature strat, through a Boss GE-7, Creation Audio Labs MK.4.23 clean boost, into a Samamp VAC 23 amp.
Thursday
Nov192009
Don Grosh Retro Classic
This was my primary guitar, and is still the most high-end of all my guitars. I bought it used in Austin Texas, and the playability, articulate tone, and solid feel make it one of my favorites.