blog

Another Peach Custom Fuzz Sample

I really need to get back to my "regular style" posts, but until then, I'll keep posting my RAILhead Effects related goodies. That said, I tweaked my Peach Custom Fuzz once again, and I'm really, really getting close to the tone I'm looking for in a fuzz. My recording setup is my 88 Les Paul w/Goodwood pickups, bridge position, guitar volume max, guitar tone rolled out, fuzz at max. I start out playing a simple rhythm riff (and eventually have to fade out because I have so much sustain!), then I play a simple blues-type run. After that, I roll the guitar tone all the way in and play the blues riff again. Here's the MP3:

http://www.railheadeffects.com/sounds/Pv2001.mp3

I like it quite a bit — but there's one more transistor I'm waiting on to test, so I may be changing it again ever so slightly...

Posted at 9:34am CDT | Permalink | Comments (2)

My Little 3PDT Board

For over a year now, I've been looking for some way to make wiring my effect pedals' foot switches and DC jacks easier to wire, and now that I have an awesome PCB boardhouse at my disposal, I've done just that:

This little guy is only 26x31mm, and it fits right over the lugs to a 3PDT switch. Starting from the bottom left, I have pads for the DC jack's positive and negative hookups — airwire I loathe running because of the distance it has to travel to the board. Now, all I have to do is tap on a 10mm wire and I'm done with the power (my DC jacks align right next to these pads). Next we have the input jack sleeve pad, which is another short jump. Above that is a resistor spot named "INR," which is an optional spot for placing your input pulldown resistor. Beginning at the top left, we have the standard board in, then a +9v pad which is spliced to make room for the LED resistor (in case your circuit doesn't include one already). -9v comes next, then the pad for the aforementioned LED power. Next is the standard LED ground, switch ground, then the board out. Going down the right side, you see another spot for an output pulldown resistor, and finally, the output jack sleeve.

This will greatly simplify the running airwire all inside my pedals, and it'll take care of those pesky DC taps I hate so much. Also, I designed this board to be used by pretty much anyone, as the pulldown and LED sections are totally optional — and once I get them in and verify them, I'll be making them available for $1 each (plus shipping) to my fellow DIY enthusiasts.

Posted at 6:44pm CDT | Permalink | Comments (1)

While I Wait…

Today is "Stencil Day" here at the RAILhead Effects shop, and while I'm waiting for some stencils to finish exposing, and others to finish soaking, I thought I'd post a quick comment to let everyone know how much I've recently been loving the font Bodoni.

It's easy on the eyes, contains great serifs, has wonderful kerning, and radiates an all-around pleasant attitude. I wish more people were as pleasing as Bodoni, but so many are just your typical Helvetica.

Posted at 4:02pm CDT | Permalink | Comments (1)

Mid-Week Schtuff

Things are getting really, really close to going public over at my guitar effects site, RAILhead Effects. I have the vast majority of product detail pages finished up (they're offline to the public), and all that remains after that is final product shots and finishing the demo goodies. The adage "good things come to those who wait" should be the banner for any business, and we've been meticulously planning our grand opening for over a year — and I'm pretty dadgum confident that things will go well.

••••••••

I'm still getting some email from you guys (and gals), asking about the medical stuff I was talking about a few weeks ago. I was being intentionally vague until we knew what was happening, and now that we *do* pretty much know what's happening, I can fully let the cat out of the bag.

My Dad has cancer.

Man, it sucks to type that.

I'll post more about this in the coming days, but the nutshell version is that Dad has Large Cell Type B Lymphoma. We were afraid he had lung cancer or mesothelioma from his asbestosis, but a biopsy of a fast-appearing tumor that was removed from his side gave us the good news it was neither of those two cancers.

For weeks, hundreds of people have been praying for him and our family, and God has been compassionate and merciful — and we're crazy thankful for that. The pieces of this puzzle have been falling into place in such a manner that there's no doubt that God has been at work — from tipping us off with the sudden "cyst" so many weeks ago, all the way to providing care for Dad at M.D. Anderson with the top minds in the cancer field. Everything in relation to this situation has been touched by God, and it's been awesome to see Him work — and I'll post about all that later.

As far as the cancer is concerned, we had a visit with the oncologist (Dr. Nathan Fowler), and his preliminary diagnosis is that Herman Hospital did, in fact, identify the cancer correctly. Of course, MDACC will perform their own tests and confirmations — but Dad's presenting the classic symptoms of this cancer. The good news is that, while Type B large Cell Lymphoma is highly aggressive, it's eagerness to replicate makes it weak and highly susceptible to therapy. This means that Dad has a near 60% of going into full remission, and an 85% to 90% plus chance of being able to manage the cancer with sporadic treatments as needed. Those, my friends, are tremendously positive percentages! To quote Dr. Fowler, "the odds are stacked highly in [Dad's] favor."

We meet with Dr. Fowler again next week, and he will then give us his official diagnosis and plan for therapy. He said the typical regimen is R-CHOP every 3 weeks, with a total of 6 treatments. We'll know more details next week, though.

So there you have it: my Dad has cancer, and we're thankful it's a cancer with a butt that's readily kicked. We're blessed to have the best of the best working on this, and we're looking forward to being yet another case of cancer being made history at M.D. Anderson. That said, please continue praying for healing and strength and continued good news from the doctors. Stay tuned for more...

Posted at 3:56pm CDT | Permalink | Comments (2)

A Quick Peach Sound Sample

I made some final modifications to my fuzz circuit, The Peach, and I recorded a quick sample of its fatness. This is played through my Les Paul with the bridge pickup, tone rolled all the way out:

http://www.maurymccown.com/images/uploads/Peach001.mp3

I love how this circuit takes the sound of the guitar itself and uses those frequencies to really get a custom sound. Between my Les Paul, Strat, Teles, and hollow-bodies, I have a massive array of different fuzz tone possibilities — the classic circuit (with my personal tweaks in transistors and caps) is a truly versatile circuit. And the part I'm playing is an original, so don't bogart it!

For kicks, here's a pic of the test circuit:

Posted at 6:09am CDT | Permalink | Comments (3)

A Quick TUA Sound Sample

I've been lazy about doing demo recordings for my RAILhead Effects stuff, so I decided to gather-up all my recording gear to get ready for legit demos. That said, I recorded a totally quick-n-dirty sample of my high-gain distortion, Total, Utter Annihilation (or TUA for short). Needless to say, this isn't a "legit" or final demo — just a quick example. And of course, the better your sound system, the better this will sound — so if you don't have a good sub, you're missing out! I personally enjoy the massive feedback you can get at bedroom levels. And for the record, this is with tone controls on the effect set to neutral — and the gain is only at 50%. =)

Enjoy Total, Utter Annihilation:

http://www.maurymccown.com/images/uploads/TUA001.mp3

Posted at 6:54pm CDT | Permalink | Comments (1)

RAILhead Effects TUA Revised

Okay, I did some magic and got my newest effect, TUA (Total, Utter Annihilation), set into the shell how I want it. I was able to move the DC jack to the side, and I moved the knobs further up to get them further away from the switch. Still no internal battery, but I'll make a little adapter available for those that insist upon using the little money-hogs. You can see the metallic black base coat here, too, but no other artwork (yet).

Posted at 11:50am CDT | Permalink | Comments (1)

A New Power Supply

I've been fully pleased with my Gator Cases G-BUS8 power supplies as far as powering abilities go, but one of the things that bugs me about them is the main unit's power adapter — it's just too flimsy. I have a lot of gear on my board, and I have to move a lot of cable around — so I need something that I know will stay in place.

So, after a bit of research, I decided to go with BBE Sound's Supa Charger power supply. Stupid name aside, this ought to suit my needs quite well — and it's less expensive (a whopping $20 less) than the more recognizable Pedal Power 2. Truth be told, these are pretty much identical — but the BBE isn't made in the USA.

It ought to arrive next week, then I'll give a run against the G-BUS8 and see how it fares.

Posted at 7:46am CDT | Permalink | Comments (4)