Crowdster Clip (1:48)
Guitar Settings
Hi - full
Mid - halfway
Low - full
Track Settings
Track 1: Pan Left 10:00: Audio Technica condenser mic close to the strumming hand
Track 2: Pan Right 2:00: Guitar direct out
Mixing Effects
None
Mastering
Multiband Compressor Classical Mastering
Several months ago I got a guitar pedalboard to hold all my guitar effects pedals. It is an SKB PS-45. It has an onboard power supply with plenty of 9V outputs. It comes with a lid which has a nice sturdy handle. On the down side, the pedals attach with simple Velcro strips, and tend to dislodge when the pedalboard is stored in an upright position for awhile, or bumped during transport. It also is very heavy.
When I got it, what I really wanted was a Pedaltrain, but the store where I got it does not carry that line. So I settled for the SKB.
At any rate, after much playing I have everything dialed in the way I like it. Here is a picture of my setup:
I just got a Tom Anderson Crowdster acoustic/electric guitar.
The story is short and sad, with a happy ending. I was in the basement, changing the strings of my Ovation Celebrity Deluxe, which I had recently gotten back from Rob Zwally, after it was away for 3 months. He put D'Addario strings on it, and I was replacing them with the Martin phosphor/bronze which I really like. At any rate, I leaned the guitar against the table, and turned away, and...
It slipped and fell to the ground. If you know Ovations you know about their round composite backs. The roundness caused the guitar to turn during its fall, so that it landed square on its neck on the concrete floor. The fall cracked the neck loose from the body. I did not notice right away; not until I picked it up to play it. Then I noticed how high the action was, over 1/4 inch. The gravity of the situation struck me harder than then the gravity that had so recently caused the accident.
I carried the guitar upstairs to show my wife. I felt like I was carrying a dead child in my arms. Really, it felt very bad. I had the guitar for over 10 years; it was my first real instrument. I can still remember getting it out of the box the day it arrived. If you know Celebrities you know they are cheap, but that did not matter to me now. It was all I could afford at the time. I had become very attached to it. I felt a deep sense of loss.
Then I said to my wife, "Dear, I guess I'll have to get another one to replace it."
She agreed. So I put the Ovation back in its case and stored it up on the shelf. Maybe sometime I'll try to fix it myself. Then I went online and started calling dealers all over the country until I found Eddie's Guitars, a store in the Midwest that had a nice Crowdster in stock. They offered a fair price, and three days later the Crowdster arrived.
The best way to describe the sound is that it sounds like a Crowdster. It doesn't sound like a Taylor. It does not sound like a Martin. Here is a little sound clip that demonstrates how it sounds.
This is my latest guitar gadget. My only complaint so far is the 9v battery only lasts a few hours.
It comes with a little User Guide that has some helpful tips to get started. I have found if I set the depth fairly low I can leave it on all the time and it really adds to the tone without being distracting.
The main reason I got it was the "tap" feature but that has turned out to be rather difficult to master. Maybe practice will make perfect.
All I can say is "Wow." I have always wondered how you get those endlessly sustaining notes from an electric guitar. The EBow is the answer. You just hold this little device up close to the pickup (the one closest to the neck), turn the tone to the darkest setting, turn the volume to about half, and out come those beautiful notes and sustained harmonics.
There is a Player's Guide on the EBow website that explains more about how to use it.
I've been looking for a guitar tremolo effect that would stay in sync with a live drummer, and I think I've found one:
"Co-developed by M-Audio and Roger Linn Design, the M-Audio Black Box Guitar Performance/Recording System is the first creative tool for guitarists that combines amp modeling, powerful beat-synced guitar effects, and electronic drums with an audio interface for computer-based recording. Based on AdrenaLinn II technology, the Black Box can be used as a standalone amp-modeling and effects unit featuring spot-on models of 12 of the greatest guitar amps of all time. 99 built-in drum patterns with tap tempo make it easy to try out different grooves and tempos."
I'm sure there are other ones out there but this looks pretty nice for $199.