Keeping Your Loved Ones Safe...

Travelling With Instruments and Gear - Part 2

This is the second part of a two part series, in which we're looking at how to best take care of your precious instruments and gear on long haul trips...

What the Flux are Boutique Effects Pedals!?

If you follow Signal Chain it’s pretty safe to assume that you’re familiar with the world of boutique guitar pedals and you are slowly making your way through a long wishlist with each and every pay cheque, trying to rouse as little suspicion from your significant other as possible.

From the outside looking in, many a partner could be misled to believe that this rowdy fraternity of guitar nerds is a support group for people who pay too much money for any circuit not made by Roland Corp. But, of course, anyone worth their weight in gold Klons knows that The Pursuit of Tone is not a passing fad - boutique is for people who give a Rat.

Power Supplies for Guitar Pedals

So, it's taken you countless hours to find an awesome collection of boutique guitar pedals, you've spent hundreds and perhaps thousands of dollars purchasing them and getting them shipped, and you have put a lot of effort into planning your dream pedalboard and then putting it together. Then you plug your beautiful vintage axe into the input of the first pedal on your new board, the output of the last pedal into your expensive boutique tube amp, and you power up. But instead of getting the sweet liquid honey tone dripping from the amp speaker like you expected, your tone is weak, uninspiring, and worst of all, has a high-pitched, faint and truly vexing mosquito-like noise that just buzzes around the tone. Tears and/or gnashing of teeth ensues...

Why Am I So Addicted to Overdrive Pedals?!

I’ve been playing guitar for the last 22 years and my gear addiction has been in full swing for the last 3. I can admit that. It doesn’t look like it’s going to ease up any time soon as well. Especially with the launch of ‘Signal Chain’.

Prior to my GAS (gear acquisition syndrome), I certainly loved guitar gear and I bought and traded my fair share, but not at the level that I do now. Six years ago I was heavily gigging and touring (mainly with one band) and I didn’t want to change my setup that much. I had written parts for my band using certain sounds/pedals and so swapping them out wasn’t really an option. On top of that, I didn’t have the money. Gear addiction is expensive! If you’re going to get addicted to anything, it’s probably cheaper to do drugs than it is to have a pedal addiction. (Signal Chain does not endorse drug use). I guess though, at least with a pedal addiction you can be broke and still have your health.