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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)

Tuesday, Quickly

It's a good thing I don't have a LAW rocket launcher at work, because I think I would have used it today. I'll interject here — for those that don't know — that "LAW" is an acronym for "Light Anti-Tank Weapon." Anyway, the girl down the hall from me not only chews her gum with her mouth open — something that should be punishable by 2 nights in lockup — she insists upon popping it while chewing. HOLY FREAKING CRAP. I took every ounce of self control to not get up and tell her to quit popping her gum like a 4 year old.

Sweet stinking pile of vermin, it was killing me. I eventually got up and closed my office door. Ugh. People, sometimes (usually).

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One of my pics from the Bronx Zoo is being included in the Schmap New York travel guide that's become available on the iPhone:

(insert being proud as a peacock joke here)

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Some of you have asked what I was talking about Wednesday, so I feel I should say something about it. Basically, it was some health-related issues with my Dad — and while things didn't come out exactly as we hoped, we're still confident things will take a great turn for the better soon and very soon. So, please keep him — and us — in your thoughts and prayers as we wait for reports.

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SUNUVADADGUM SHE'S DOING IT AGAIN! Serenity now...serenity now...

Posted at 2:57pm CDT | Permalink | Comments (4)

RAILhead Effects TUA Finalized

Holy crap on a land mine, I have created a serious monster. For over a year now, I've been working on a massively heavy metalcore distortion box — The TUA (Total, Utter Annihilation) — and I finally got it to where I was ready to fabricate a board. It started out as a modified version of the Dual Rectifier circuit, but I did loads of tweaking to get it to sound exactly how I want it to — and mother, is it AWESOME. After biasing the transistors, I just stood there and played and played and played — eventually stopping in a fit of mischievous, childish laughter. This, Pedal. Rules. There is nothing nice or pretty about the TUA — it's simply the sounds of Perdition trapped inside a metal box.

My mics and mic stand are in my truck, and since it's as hot as Perdition outside, I can't record anything right now — but I'm planning on taking care of sound samples this week, so stay tuned on that front. In the mean time, here's a look at the finalized exterior and interior layouts, and be sure to check out my effects site, RAILhead Effects.

Posted at 5:01pm CDT | Permalink | Comments (9)

Mid-Week Randomness

Today will be a tough, but — we're confidently praying — a good day. I don't want to post names here (and I ask that those of you that know what I'm talking about don't either), but if you're the praying type, please send prayers to our family today. We're finishing-up some business, and we need for things to come out well — and we look forward, with confidence, to sharing good news with everyone very soon. Pray for 100% clean results. Thanks.

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I haven't even fully opened my guitar effects shop, RAILhead Effects, and I already have someone that wants to be my exclusive dealer in Japan. How cool is that? I'm going over details with them now, and this could be really, really cool.

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Speaking of my effects, the final boards for the io, PURE, The Peach, and TUA will be arriving today and tomorrow, so I can't wait to start building en masse. My wife has come up with some new artwork for PURE and Switcha-Rooski, too, so I'm dying to get some painted enclosures in her hands. That's one of my many goals for this weekend, then I ned to get prepped for recording demos, etc.

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Stay tuned for wonderful news, and remember us today — especially around noon and the hours that follow.

Posted at 7:24am CDT | Permalink | Comments (2)