Best Plantar wart or Verruca UK over-the-counter treatment

My Plantar Wart Ordeal

It started as a callus on the ball of my left foot. I thought at first it was due to my very old shoes and the sole of the shoes that's wearing thin. It felt like I was stepping on a nail or something sharp that's poking my foot. It was like that for a while and then later on, it's getting worse in terms of discomfort. So I had to investigate and check what's happening in my foot. It looks like it was forming into a corn. I didn't know about this stuff, I just looked on Google and searched for symptoms that I was feeling at the time. I didn't take photos of my foot, but the ones on the net looked similar on what's happening on my foot.

Remedy:  I didn't seek any medical advice. Just looked online and also went to pharmacy and looked around. I bought corn removal plasters. Used it for about a week and it relieved some of the discomfort and I thought it was helping. Then I started using file and just keep removing the callus around. Unfortunately, after a while, it came back again and the discomfort was getting worse.

To cut the story short, I didn't seek medical advice and just keep researching online and doing a lot of home remedies. Any thing that I can put into it, I would use. Even pain relief gel. Worse thing that happened apart from it was not healing and I keep doing something to it like I opened it using nail clipper because I thought there's just a splinter inside or trapped blood or something. So, that made it worse. And the pain was getting intense.

Another remedy: Corn removal (all-in-one pen). This one again, set my hopes high. I thought it was helping and I thought it will heal my corn. But, it didnt. It only scratched the surface. Again back to the usual habit of nail clipper and rubbing it off using file.

Then we went on holiday and the pain this time was unbearable. I think I got a very strong pain tolerance or I just don't want people especially my family to know how I suffer. But, they can notice that Im already limping. Then we went swimming in the beach. I thought that the salt water will help. But, what happened was, I stepped on a sharp rock or something that it bled. That's it, made it really worst. It was then that I looked closely and researched more online about it. And that's when I came across the word Verruca or Plantar wart. The pain Im experiencing, the look now on my foot. The white round thing and the tiny black dots. I can now confirm it was Verruca.

Treatment: After my own diagnosis, I now researched for treatment. There are a lot of treatments online and home remedies from Apple Cider, to Urine, to banana peel and a lot more. Anyways, I said to myself I wont give up. So I looked again in the pharmacy and that's when I found WARTIE advanced (Wart and Verruca remover).

The instructions very easy. There are even videos online on how to use it. So I didn't get lost on what to do. However, I was still skeptical and I bought a separate Verruca removal plaster with Salicylic acid. So after I used WARTIE advanced, I still covered it with the Verruca removal plaster. It says on the Wartie instruction to wait for 14 days before using it again and can be used 3 times as long as you wait for 14 days to take effect before you use it again.


One week after I used it, the pain was gone. I can now walk properly. There's still discomfort because of the callus and all but it was a lot better. However, when it was nearing the 14th day, it started again. A little bit of pain and it looks like the wart is still coming back. So I said to myself, I will give it another dose. And so I did it, but this time I did not use the salicylic acid plaster. I just covered it with the corn relief pads and at times just cover it with band-aids. Then one week after my second dose, pain was gone and even the discomfort was gone. It was also looking better but still raw. Probably because of the band-aid. So I left it open now to dry. Peeled a bit of skin around. After the 14 days was complete, I can say it's healed. Thanks to Wartie.

NOTE: No one in my family got it even though we share bathroom. I've had for about 3-4 months. Also it was a bit nerve racking to use Wartie because I just relied on the instructions and haven't asked anyone who have tried it and what was their experience. I already had so much pain in my foot so I told myself, what could go wrong. I got scared obviously because I was anticipating that the freezing effect is going to be painful when you apply it but No. There's a little bit of strange feeling but not painful.

Please follow the instruction carefully on the leaflet.
1. First is to apply 1 drop of the conductive gel on the wart.
2. Put the can upright on the table or flat surface and remove cap.
3. Put the cap back aligning the arrow icon with the freeze icon on the can.
4. Press the cap firmly down for 3 seconds. (Do not exceed 3 seconds).
5. Take off the cap and precisely apply the frozen metal tip on the wart (if it is hand - 20 seconds), but in my case (it's on my foot - 40 seconds).
6. Apply protective paster that's included in the pack. (In my case, I applied Scholl Verruca removal system). But in the end, I just relied on the Wartie.

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

Hack on Digitech RP55 WahWah control pedal

Digitech RP55 with Wah pedal

I bought a cheap multi-effects pedal but very versatile and tons of good tones on presets available for use. However, there's no expression pedal for WahWah and the auto wah option that came with the preset is good but not satisfying. So I did a bit of hack on my Digitech RP55. And with that I converted it to a Whammy pedal and Wah pedal. All I did was bought from eBay a generic expression pedal. It was an M-Audio keyboard universal expression pedal. It's also cheap so I thought to myself, what can go wrong. I can always open it up and change circuitry inside. So I plug it in, then turn on the wah option and when I tried it, it was the wrong way around. I think the polarity of the keyboard expression pedal is different from a wah pedal.

Sol I tried reversing the polarity by inverting the jack’s wire. But nothing happened, it was still the same. Then, I moved to rotor inside and reversed the polarity. Although there were three wires, I was lucky and managed to reverse the polarity. My pedal now is working properly as a wah pedal. I even tried it on the whammy patch and it did work as well.

What I did next was improvising on making it a proper mini pedalboard. First I look for a flat wood or something that I can put my Digitech RP55 as well as the expression pedal next to each other. I found our old wooden square placemats. Then, tried putting the effects pedal and expression pedal together and it was perfect fit. Next, I bought some arts and crafts materials like glue and coloured foam sheets. Glued one on top and one at the bottom to prevent the wood from slipping or sliding. It served as a cushion. Then, I created a bit of designs like stars, etc. I also bought velcro so that I can remove my effects pedal if need be and stick it back to my improvised pedalboard again. So I glued one part of the velcro on the effects pedal and expression pedal, then the other part was on the pedalboard itself. Perfect fit and very handy.

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!