How does Lyon By Washburn HSS sound

One Man, One Guitar, Lots of Tones

The story of my guitar Lyon by Washburn HSS strat type black. I can vividly remember almost all the details when I first bought this guitar. I went to Southampton with my other half to look for a guitar. We first went to The Guitar Store (Home of Tone) in Southampton. Went in and look around, during that time (about 7 years ago), staff wasn't too friendly. They look at you as either you want to buy or just messing about. They didn't entertain me and when I look for a staff to ask around, I didn't get much help either because it was like what he wanted was I need to know what I want to buy and just get it and pay. No help whatsoever so I went out and went to the next shop which is Becketts Music Ltd. The moment I went in, the guy was so friendly, smiling and help me all throughout. He first ask what Im looking for and I said, Im interested in buying a guitar. So he asked me what sort of guitar. And I said electric guitar. Also I asked if I can pay using credit card and he said "absolutely yes." He asked me what sort of budget do I have in mind. And I said, Im on a really tight budget and it was between £150 to £200. So, he said I can give you a package where an amp and gigbag is included. He pointed out which guitar I can try. I've tried a couple of guitars, one was Fender strat copy and the colour was mint green, very nice but the tone, action and feel of it was far for my liking. Then, I tried this Lyon by Washburn, which got a nice look, lovely tone but again it didn't feel like that's the guitar I wanted to get stuck with. But I know for a fact that it's within my budget and will do the job.

So, in short I bought that guitar, and it came with a Stagg 10-watt practise amp, gigbag, strap, lead, allen screw and a tremolo bar. Oh, by the way, I bought the guitar because, I met a guy named Mike and he invited me to join his band. So, I needed gear to use for rehearsals and potential gigs.

Came home, really pleased and was over the moon. I don't drive so we used the train back to Romsey. Unpacked my guitar and amp, plugged everything in. Enjoyed it. Action was really high and the bridge of the guitar was a bit pointy, I can't explain but I mean the screws on the saddles were sticking out and it's hitting the heel of my hand. But, eventually I got used to it. Also I told myself I needed to buy an effects pedal. Originally, I wanted to buy individual stompbox even just one distortion pedal and that would do me. But, when I looked at the prices, it was a bit too much for me. That's when I found Digitech RP55 multi effects processor which is the cheapest effects pedal that time. Bought it only, through Amazon. I think it was around £35 to £40 that time. And that completed my gear.

I've rehearsed, did online videos, gigged and even recorded using this gear. From Romsey all the way up to Norwich. Did a support act in Colchester for a famous local artist from the Philippines named Bamboo. I joined the band from Norwich which is Crossedwind. We then had loads of gigs after that and able to record at Ashwood Recording Studio. Also, mostly, we rehearsed at Earth Studio.

Eventually, I learned a little bit on how to setup my guitar. I mostly look online especially YouTube. So, I adjust the action and intonate the guitar. Still I was not very satisfied. I also improvised and made a DIY pedalboard using my Digitech RP55 with an M-Audio universal expression pedal. Then, I started to look around for different amps, different pedals and even looking for a new guitar.

I sold my Stagg 10-watt practise amp and bought loads of different amps from an old Ashton solid state combo 30-watt amp to a tiny BB Blaster 15-watt practise amp. But I always love the tone Im getting from Panther by Hohner TEGA-10 that I always borrow from Mike during rehearsals and gigs. I never get the chance to buy one that time. Also I got stuck with Roland Cube Street. I love the tone of that amp plus it's portable and can be operated using batteries. However, when I joined Subtle Culprits, I was surprised that this amp can't stand out with the other guitar and the drums. That's when I decided to sell it and bought the Roland cube monitor CM30 but still couldn't managed the volume during rehearsals. Then I bought Belcat V35RG, it was a lovely amp and gigged with it for a couple of times and decided again to sell it. Until I found a cheap Hohner Panther TEGA-10 online. Used it a lot until I burnt the speaker. So I changed the speaker with Celestion eight 15 and up to now I still got it.

About the pedal, I sold my Digitech RP55 and bought online Boss ME-33, I love it because I got everything I needed but it was a bit big and the sound that I wanted during live gigs wasn't there. I find that during live gigs my Digitech RP55 was a lot better. So, I decided to sell my Boss ME-33 and changed it to Korg AX100G. Again, this was a lovely effects pedal. Very portable and lightweight. Battery operated. Lots of nice settings, but it got me confused if it was my guitar that's need changing or my amp. And that's when I found Zoom G1xOn, which up to now Im still using.

I bought a different guitar this time, it's Silvertone SG copy. I had lots of problems with this guitar but managed to sort it. This time, I left my Lyon by Washburn in Norwich and told them Im selling it. I posted it on Gumtree as well as eBay. I even wanted to just give it away because I was really not happy with that guitar in terms of playability. But, no one wants to buy it. Until I got it back again when my new band Subtle Culprits had a gig in Norwich Bario Fiesta.

Then, the upgrade started. I bought new Stainless Steel Saddle Set - 52.5mm Spacing Guitar Bridge through eBay and this changes the feel of the guitar as well as sustain. It is much smoother now to put the heel of my hand on the bridge. Then, I decided to change pickups. I only changed the neck and the bridge. I bought Wilkinson Vintage 60s for the neck and Wilkinson Hot Humbucker MWHB for the bridge. I installed it myself. Again it changed my guitar. And the last upgrade that I did was when my friend Dave from work, offered to spray paint my guitar. And that's it, the looks was changed. But overall it's the same guitar I bought from 7 years ago.


ADDITIONAL LINKS OF THIS LYON BY WASHBURN HSS:

1. Original saddles and fixed bridge setup on Lyon by Washburn
2. Newly fitted Stainless Steel Saddles on Lyon by Washburn
3. New pickup and newly painted Lyon by Washburn

How to get a good tone out of a practise amp

Hacks on amp setting

The quest for tone is endless. Like what amp to use, what pedal to buy, what type and/or brand of guitar, what brand and/or gauge of strings, what pick, what lead or cable to use, etc. etc. etc.  The simple answer to it is.... You are the tone. It starts in your brain as a concept or idea then it translates to your ear as an aural perception. Then that's the time you buy stuff and try to tweak, adjust, setup to your liking. Your fingers are the accessories because there are people that use their toes to play guitar or some appendages to strum or pluck the strings for example Tony Iommi got prosthetic fingertips. But, it didn't stop him from playing the guitar or hindered the tone that he wants for his guitar.  Right, having said that, let's crack on and get your gear out, whatever it is.

Plug your guitar to your amp and start tweaking your amp. Normally, amp got Master Volume, Equalisation either Treble, Mid and Bass or just Treble and Bass and at times just one Tone control. Then some amps got a Gain and a separate Volume control for that gain. Other times, amp got channel control or switch for Clean and Crunch or Overdrive.

Master Volume: This determine the loudness of the amp so it depends on the room size your playing or the person your jamming with. So adjust accordingly. Start at low level especially when your practising on your own. When you want to get a decent Clean Tone, put your volume between 4-5 or 10 to 12 o'clock. If you want a bit of dirt/overdrive, lower your Master volume to 1-2 and increase your gain and volume.

Gain control: Some amps as I've said earlier got 1 gain and 1 separate volume control. Others got two gain controls like this practise amp Park G10. But I guess, Gain 1 is your volume and Gain 2 is your overdrive or actual gain. I suggest you turn gain 1 up to 1/4 or about 3 and gain 2 on 0. Just to get the right volume for the amp. Then, try to fiddle with gain 2 and decide on how crunchy or dirty you want your amp. If you are a blues fan, perhaps put gain 2 on 1/4 to 1/2 (between 9 to 12 o'clock) and if you are more of a heavy rock or metal fan then turn your gain 2 to 3/4 or full blast.

Equalisation: This is where the fun begins when you are looking for tones. The most common EQ setting is putting the treble, mid and bass on 12 o'clock. Then, from there, start turning the bass up to 3/4 or 3 o'clock and then try it full, and see how the amp as well as the speaker handles it. Next, try and turn treble starting from 0 all the way to full blast. Listen and find out which one you like it the most. Then, same goes with your mid, try to turn it down to 0 and work your way up to 1 o'clock. I never put mid full blast but I suppose if you put bass and treble full blast then surely you can with the mid but then again it will just be the same as putting it all on 12 o'clock.

Your Guitar: There are a lot of factors on your guitar, like the pickups, the height of the pickups. Also the strings albeit the type of strings ang/or gauge. The neck length or the scale length. The type of wood from body to fretboard. If it is solid, semi-hollow or hollow guitar. And a lot more. But, will talk about the obvious like the volume control, the tone knobs and the toggle switch for the pickups. Start on which pickup you like the most, i.e. neck or bridge, both or just the middle pickup. Then dial the tone knob of your guitar from 0-10. Find which tone you like the most. Also volume knob plays a great role especially if your amp is a tube amp. You can push your amp's gain and then lower your volume from your guitar. There are tons of techniques and information to learn and know. Keep trying, keep experimenting. Good luck!

Park G10 amp review

Park G10 Practise Amp

Park Designed by Marshall Amplification PLC. 15 Watt RMS at 8 Ohm. One channel. Two gain control. Three band EQ (treble, middle, bass). One Master Volume. Headphones out. No Line Out or Footswitch output.  No effects. No reverb.  Straight forward practise amp. One input for your guitar. Opened back, good for putting leads plus lightweight to carry.

Tone is really nice because it sounds like tube amp. And then even though there's no reverb or effects, it still produces a very nice clean sound. I don't know how they do it. It doesnt sound dry at all. And when you push it like putting everything all the way up especially the two gains and just limit the master volume to 2 or 3, the distortion that's coming out is really nice and it sustain nicely.

I can't say much about this amp because I haven't tried it yet gigging or even use it during rehearsals, but judging from this video recording, I think this amp has got a lot to offer.

If I were to recommend, I would buy and use this amp mainly for recording and/or rehearsals. I cant imagine this amp during gigs yet but who knows, it might be a good amp to gig with.

Review of Bose SoundTrue on ear headphones mint and purple

Mint and Purple

This is the most comfortable headphones I've tried. The pads are super soft and comfortable to your ears. The headphones as a whole is super lightweight. Also the colour combination is unique and beautiful design. If this headphones was coloured white and red, I would have called it Van Halen headphones.

To me, the sound quality is superb, although I've read on some reviews that the sound quality is not that great for the price. Well, I think Bose, is always a bit pricey. Im really glad I got this. It's actually a xmas gift from my wife.

The only downside with this headphones is that it's intended for Apple products like iPod, iPhone, iPad and/or Mac. So the remote does not work properly on Android or other smartphones. But, obviously as a headphone, it still works but not the remote.

Another thing, I've tried it on my effects pedal so that when Im jamming just by myself or with backing tracks, I wont be disturbing the missus or the neighbours. But, because the jack that comes with this headphones are three layers, there's a bit of polarity issues. It's not working as I would like it to be. I ended up using my son's headphones which is for kids but works well and more practical for me rather than buying another set of headphones.

Overall, this headphones to me, is a very nice product. The way it is built, the colour, the comfort it gives, portable because you can easily fold it and it comes with a bag/case, and for obvious reason the sound quality. Hope this review helps. Cheers!

Review of Behringer GDI21 V-Tone Guitar Driver

A DI Box and a distortion pedal plus amp simulator rolled into one gadget.

This gadget basically is an effects pedal but has got loads of functions. First one is a DI Box. When you are in a rehearsal or gig and you forgot your amp or your guitar amp is not working for some reason like you forgot the lead, fuse or valve problems or it blew up the speaker. Then, this gadget is your saviour because you can plug this directly to your PA and on off/bypass setting, it serves as a DI box. Use an XLR lead for better quality on your PA. But obviously your guitar lead will also work because this GDI21 got two outputs; one XLR and one 1/4-inch.

Second function of this gadget is an amp simulator. You can choose between Fender, Marshall or Mesa Boogie and match it between Clean, Hi Gain or Hot channel. Added to it is a mic simulation, you can choose between Off axis, Centre or Classic. It means where the mic is positioned during mic'd in. It also got a Ground lift on and off to cancel humming or compatibility issues with amp, other effects pedal or the PA itself for that matter.

Third function is as a stompbox or a distortion pedal. Technically it works like an amp simulator but because you can dial the Drive/Gain knob on a desired level plus the tone/EQ which are bass and treble and the level/volume that you would want.... this is a perfect fuzz/distortion pedal. Tone and Drive are really nice.  If you pair this with a reverb pedal or a delay pedal, plus wah pedal, then it makes a perfect gigging gear.

Here are the sample settings of this pedal:

Valencia 1/4 sized nylon classical kids guitar review

Valencia 1/4 classical guitar

Bought this guitar for my boy. He is interested in learning the guitar. So I decided to buy a small guitar suited for him.  There's loads online to choose from but I chose this one because of the size and it says it's suitable for kids 5-8 years old.

Nylon are very good guitar for beginners because it's not that painful on your fingers. Then given the size of this guitar which is 1/4, it's really perfect for my boy. There's also 1/2 and 3/4 or the full size which is 4/4. There's a lot to choose from.

Guitar is decent, well made and most of all frets are working nicely. This one comes with a tuner and gigbag. And because the strings are still new, you need to allow time for it and be patient to keep tuning it time and again.  The sound of this super tiny guitar is excellent. The only downside is that it is really tiny that it's difficult for an adult to play it because it's either your fingers wont fit or you're putting your finger on a different fret by accident. Your fingers here can reach a good stretch. The action is decent, not too hight and low.