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Author Archives: Jay Hale
The Kramer Chronicles Volume VI: The Pearly Gates Neck
In this ongoing saga of testing out Duncan humbuckers in my trusty rebuilt vintage Kramer Voyager, I’ve been through quite a few bridge pickups all paired with the ’59N, which is a great neck pickup. Not just great but super … Continue reading
Posted in Product News
Tagged Billy Gibbons, Floyd Rose, FU-Tone, Kramer, Pearly Gates, Sh-4, The Kramer Chronicles
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The Kramer Chronicles Volume V: The JB/59 set
In part five of the Kramer Chronicles, by reader request, we’ll check out what is one the most desired bridge pickups and pickup combinations ever: the workhorse ’59N and the legendary JB. The SH/TB-4 JB is the flagship humbucker of the … Continue reading
Posted in Product News
Tagged Boogie Bodies, Floyd Rose, FU-Tone, Kramer, Kramer Voyager, Seymour Duncan, Sh-1, Sh-4, TB-4, The Kramer Chronicles
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Greg Hetson of Bad Religion
Greg Hetson, “the Geordie Howe of Punk”, has been a staple of the L.A. punk scene since 1979. Hetson got his start playing in the influential Red Kross, leaving in ’80 to form the Circle Jerks (featured in The Decline … Continue reading
Posted in Backstage Pass
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The Kramer Chronicles Volume IV: The Custom
In the continuing saga of testing pickups in my 80s vintage Kramer rebuild, we’ve been through how the ’59, Pearly Gates, and Alternative 8 sound in the bridge position, and matched with the ‘59N in the neck. Since the Voyager’s … Continue reading
Posted in Pickup Reviews
Tagged Boogie Bodies, Floyd Rose, FU-Tone, Kramer, Seymour Duncan
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The Kramer Chronicles, Volume III: The Alternative 8
The Alt 8 is one of Seymour’s more-recent offerings and the first of their production humbucker line to be designed around the A8 magnet. The A8 has a unique flavor, one that seems to span the gap between Alnico and ceramic magnets in that it has Alnico sweetness in the highs and ample mids, but also has a tight low end similar to a ceramic. Continue reading
Posted in Pickup Reviews
Tagged Alnico 8, Alternative 8, Boogie Bodies, Floyd Rose, FU-Tone, Head Case, Kramer, SH-15, TB-15
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Obey Your Master: The Art Of Amp Slaving
Back in the days before we had direct recording outs and stereo effects loops, if a guitarist wanted to take his favorite amp’s tone and make it LOUDER, it was done by something called amp slaving. This is accomplished by … Continue reading
Posted in Tips and Tricks
Tagged Palmer Speaker Simulator, power amp, preamp, Radial JDX, Slaving, THD Hotplate
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The Kramer Chronicles, Volume II: The Pearly Gates
When last we left off, I’d installed the ’59 set in my resurrected-mutant 80s Kramer Voyager. It sounded great, but the idea was to see how different combinations worked in the guitar, so we’ll be moving on to the next … Continue reading
Posted in Guitar Builders, Pickup Reviews
Tagged Boogie Bodies, Floyd Rose, FU-Tone, Kramer, Kramer Voyager, Pearly Gates
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The Kramer Chronicles, Volume I: The ’59 Set
When I was a kid first starting out on guitar, there was no widespread “DIY” market to speak of. That was just beginning. You basically took what you could get at your local music store, and liked it. Unless you … Continue reading
Posted in Guitar Builders, Pickup Reviews
Tagged Boogie Bodies, Charvel, Floyd Rose, FU-Tone, Kramer, PAF, StewMac, TB 59, The Bomber, trembucker
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Freestyle Ear Training
In the days before tablature transcriptions and YouTube video tutorials, guitarists had only their wits, ears, piano charts (!) and each other to count on to accurately learn their favorite tunes or material for paying gigs. Continue reading
The Mad (Guitar) Scientist’s Lab Equipment List
It’s a little known secret that mere mortals can repair and maintain their instruments using only hand tools (sssh, this is just between us!). Heck, using prefab or custom-ordered necks and bodies, you can build them too. Contrary to popular … Continue reading
Posted in Tips and Tricks
Tagged capacitor, CTS, DIY, Dremel, FretRest, multimeter, potentiometer, Radio Shack, Soldering iron, Stew Mac
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