Lovely Revstar there, I agree with you that metal tailpiece adds a huge amount to the aesthetics. Enjoy!
New toy time. An XSonic Airstep:
I’m going to use this with my THR10ii for a nice wireless setup.
I got the full-featured model rather than the THR specific one as it will work with my THR, my Spark amp back home in the UK (although it’s most likely I will sell that at some point) and can be programmed to be used with a bunch of other kit, like Katana amps, etc.
Apparently they are also looking to do a software update so it supports the Boss Pocket GT, which I have in the drawer here.
I’m also interested to see if I can get it working on my laptop with ToneLib GFX, as that has a looper function and it might be useful to be able to control it with footswitches.
Cheers,
Keith
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An impressive array of gear. The next time you travel with guitar you might consider taking the Tele, remove the neck and it becomes manageable, great for traveling and having a decent guitar at the other end.
I did exactly that when I went to work in Tokyo. The trouble is, it used up a lot of space in my luggage.
Cheers,
Keith
Terrific buy @Majik .
I’ve got the YT version for my THR 10ii and used it in anger for the first time in the OM on Saturday. Added a whole new dimension of pressure and timing to consciously switch at the right times (while remembering to play and what vocals were coming up next!!) but it’s a really good bit of kit. Enjoy!!
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Feng Shui coin plectrums
I just had these picks/plectrums delivered from The Highland Plectrum Co
These are made from Feng Shui coins which are a (non-currency) Chinese coin that is often used to attract wealth and prosperity. They have a square hole in the centre which was used so they could be threaded onto a rod or string.
These are bigger than the Japanese 5 yen coin plectrum I previously got from the same company, but also noticeably thinner feeling more like a similar thickness to a Dunlop .71 Tortex, but without the flexibility.
As with the other plectrums I have had from them, the coin has been ground and polished into a nice point with smooth bevelled edges.
To give an indication of size, here’s what they look like alongside the Japanese 5 yen coin plectrum, and my go-to pick of choice, the Gravity Razer standard 2mm:
In use, I find them comfortable to hold and they work nicely even for strumming. The hole works nicely for increased grip. I do notice a slightly more metallic sound from them, but this could be local string noise as I’m currently running at bedroom volumes so I can hear the pick noise on the string easily.
So far, I like them a lot, although I’m not sure if I’ll move away from my Razer completely just yet; I’m going to use them for a bit to get used to them because they do feel different in the fingers than the Razer.
Cheers,
Keith
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I imagine you’ll be changing strings a bit more often now Keith! 
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So, I am gradually downsizing, starting with this baby which I have been looking after for some time, but it’s now going back to it’s original owner.
(See Majik's Learning Log - #2 by Majik for details).
I took the neck off and stuck it in my suitcase when I travelled back to Singapore this week. Now I just need to get it across to Malaysia.
Cheers,
Keith
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Following up on this, I’m visiting Malaysia this weekend and the Tele is now back in the hands of its original owner (my Brother-in-law) after over a decade.
I also gave him my Spark 40 amp as I didn’t really need it, and didn’t get on with it that well. But it’s a perfect amp for him as he hasn’t picked up a guitar in all this time and will be largely starting from scratch.
Cheers,
Keith
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Wow. You inspire to me give away the electric guitar that I bought during teens, that I hardly play 
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I’m thinking I should sell some more gear.
Maybe I should start with this:
#HeHasTheBox
Cheers,
Keith
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you can get some good money for it
For those who don’t get what this is about; the Bad Monkey was compared with the Klon Centaur, a legend amongst guitar pedals:
Seeing everyone seems to love these, I thought I would pick one up whilst in the UK.
So far, I’m not disappointed. The app even seems to work with Linux under Wine.
Cheers,
Keith
5 Likes
Hum,
Sounds like a candidate for the Justin Guitar’s site I would think. I know you will head him this way, right?
All the best to you and him!
LB
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I’ve just sold the Trio+ and additional pedal.
I wasn’t using it.
Cheers,
Keith
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What a great read Keith, thank you for sharing.
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Goodness gracious, man… I can’t condone this! 
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I just realised that I missed a significant piece of gear from my “Road Case”. I realised this as I was selling it.
So I’m going to update this for posterity.
Boss MS-3 MultiFX Switcher
This is a combined switcher and multifx unit. I originally bought this about 3-4 years ago because it had great reviews, and it seemed like a great unit to use as the centre of a pedalboard concept I had in mind.
The unit comprises a switcher with 3 loops and traditional Boss Multifx engine, except it doesn’t have any amp emulations. This unit is designed to plug into an amp, rather than emulate one.
The unit is interesting because you can combine switching in/out of up to 3 external pedals (or chains of pedals) with the onboard effects. So if, for example, you don’t like any of the onboard drive pedals, you could put your own drive pedal in one of the loops. You can then configure patches which can include both onboard effects and external drive pedals.
Other clever things it can do:
- If you have a MIDI configurable pedal or amp it can control that, so you can not only switch pedals in with a patch, but also change the settings on the pedal, or switch amp channels
- it can act as a a switch for external controls which take a footswitch, such as for amp channel switching, and control those within the patch
- It can take additional external footswitches or expression pedals which can be programmed to fulfil additional functions
- It has a “stompbox” mode where the 4 footswitches can be used to turn on/off individual effects instead of selecting patches
- It has (like some other Boss products) a fairly sophisticated “assigns” capability where you can perform multiple actions with a single press of a footswitch.
The round white things in the photo are pedal “toppers” which, basically, clip onto the top of the pedal buttons and make them more comfortable to use without shoes on. They also tend to spread the light from the LED underneath to make it easier to see.
At the time, I was starting to go to a regular Jam session group and I was planning to build a pedalboard which I could use there, as well as at home with my other amps. My wishlist for the board was:
- Options for stereo or mono out, easily selectable
- Options for 4-cable method into an amp with fx loop, or direct into the front of an amp
- Option for onboard pre-amp to go direct to a mixing desk or similar
- Looper
- Option to add external pedals if I decided I wanted them in the future
- Expression pedal
- Wireless with easy override to cable
A big part of this is exploration, not necessity. This list of items is totally overkill for what I actually need or will use most of the time, but the Engineer in my liked the challenge of designing and building something.
The initial pedal board layout I was working on is below:
This includes the Boss RC-3 and a wireless transmitter. The Line6 one is in the diagram because I couldn’t find a graphic for the Boss WL50 which I wanted to use at the time; I have both and find the WL50 much more reliable than the GT10T. The WL50 also has an easy way to wire the guitar in if the battery runs out or there is too much interference.
This design is based on the Temple Audio pedal board range which has side-mountable modules for things like stereo summing, and 4CM switching/connectivity. They even have an Amp module.
The wiring diagram I was working on is as follows:
Anyway, I was still in the planning stage when, in 2019, I was offered a contract in Tokyo which I really would have been stupid to turn down. This meant that my plans for a new pedalboard were put on hold, as I wouldn’t be doing Jam sessions any time soon.
After that, I ended up in Singapore and, of course, in 2020 a pandemic hit the world.
When I was back visiting friends and family in the UK recently, I started looking at some of my accumulated gear and thinking about what to do with it. I ended up bringing some of it back to Singapore as I didn’t see any point it sitting around not being used 11,000 km away.
I have already sold my Trio+. I was toying with the idea of using the MS-3 for the Jam sessions I have started going to here in Singapore, but I have already been using my Boss GT-1 for that and it works pretty well, and I really don’t have all the things I need to build a new pedal board here.
I played around with the MS-3 a bit at home into my THR10ii, but decided it was overkill and it was time to sell it. I’m also seeing some newer devices around which I think would be better for me these days.
So this afternoon I met up with someone at a nearby shopping mall and sold it.
Cheers,
Keith
7 Likes
That’s quite a collection and rich history of gear experiences! Thank you for sharing all of that Keith! A lot of valuable lessons there, especially the one I’ve quoted above. Having just bought a Marshall Code 25 modeling amp, I have found myself wasting hours searching for the “perfect tone”. Slowly I began to realize that there are only a handleful of presets (out of the 100 included) that served 90% of my practice needs which allowed me to get on with practicing my skills and song play which is a better use of my time currently.
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Hi Keith,
I’ve got a question on Linux but I’ll message you directly as it’s not guitar related.
John
1 Like