This is an instrumental track that I recorded using my Epiphone AJ200SCE acoustic through a condenser mic into GarageBand. The only added effect is a bit of reverb on the second guitar track.
Kind of a Latin feel. If you’re wondering, Il Sangue means “The Blood” Enjoy and let me know your thoughts.
I knew this day would come. Thank God I’m still here to see it.
I hit 40 in June last year and have always had an issue with not only weight, but being out of shape as compared to when I was at Marist. Many folks blame “getting married” and “getting comfortable” as the reason and that might be true. However, when it comes right down to it, the body is a temple and the Lord exists there so it should be taken care of.
That said, I always tried things like lo-carb which would work for a while but they didn’t have any staying power. So last week, I downloaded a free calorie counting app on my iPod Touch called MyFitnessPal. After going through it and then finding out that it had a site (duh) I started using it. To my surprise, it’s been fantastic.
Also got some good advice from some new friends on TDPRI who have done similar things (or are DOING similar things) which has been cool. So here’s where I stand right now…
I will continue to update as I go. Best part about it is that my love Ally, my sis-in-law Kim, bro-in-law Dennis have all joined. Peace! (and put down the ring ding!)
There are a lot of things to consider when searching for a quality guitar amplifier. Now, understand I’ve never been a so called “tube snob” but I do realize and appreciate the differences associated with solid state and tube circuits. Even so, a manufacturer’s ability to stick a tube somewhere in the schematic doesn’t automatically result in a world-class tone.
Now, I’ve owned a couple of pretty awesome solid state amps in my time and have had great results. Some noteworthy mentions are the Fender Frontman 212R, Peavey Bandit 65 (1984 model), Kustom Quad 200HD (head), Peavey Bandit 112 TransTube and Fender Deluxe 112 Plus (1995) model. Each of these amps have beautiful clean tones and marginal drive tones. In fact, I think the latter is where the solid state amps really suffer when compared to a quality tube amp. It was at this point I decided that a tube combo was in my future.
How to choose… The Criteria
As my knowledge increased from a ton of reading, watching online and discussions with friends, I came to the realization that I needed very specific properties in order to achieve a stage and studio amp.
So I created a short list of amps that fit those (some or all) criteria. Here’s what I found…
So I was fortunate enough to have the store manager at Guitar Center in Independence, MO set me up with a side by side of all these amps. I spent time with each one and each has it’s own strengths. Here’s a brief on them…
So there you have it. The Classic 30 is the hands-down winner of this comparison by a wide margin. Plus, the fact that it’s made in Mississippi by people who not only answer the phone when you call, but also spend time with you on whatever question you have, it’s a no brainer. The bottom line question is this: Would you rather your amp manufacturer put their funds into marketing, or manufacturing.
God bless.
Joe Faraldi
www.faraldi.com
jfaraldi@faraldi.com
For the first time in a long time, our family went back east to see… well, family for the Thanksgoving holiday.
20+ hours there and 20+ hours back was brutal but it was all worth it. We stayed with Kim and Steve (Ally’s sister) in Emerson, NJ and it really brought me back. Great to hang out with everyone and an added bonus was that Ally had her 20 year High School reunion the Friday after TG.
It’s amazing how you make relationships and they stick, even when you don’t see the person for a while. Needless to say, the Emerson High School graduating class of 1989 was made up of a great group of people. No wonder why… they all were friends with the greatest girl in the world! MY girl!
Not gonna lie. Getting back to work was tough and I had a lot of catch up (still more tonight) but all in all, it’s been a great time.
Oh… and picking up my new Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster tonight doesn’t suck either!
God bless.
So this weekend was pretty busy for me and my family. Friday night I had a show in Independence, MO at a very cool church and we played along with a great band called “Glory Road”. The style of music was way different from what Tripleshift is all about (their sound was more of a laid back Southern rock style) and the lead guy named Jeff provided great tunes with even better ministry.
Saturday night we had a fund-raising show in Hiawatha, KS which was roughly 2 hours from home and to be honest, I was kind of bummed about the long drive. However, it was cool riding with Big Mikey (our manager and my best friend) ’cause we got a chance to just B.S. about stuff. (note, Big Mikey’s choice of Funions and the odor that they emit was enough to make a horse puke…)
So we get to Hiawatha and the people are so cool. The young lady who organized the event, Elizabeth, was really cool and gave us the details on her friend Heather and what was going on with her.
Heather is 31 years old and in February of this year was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). This is a disease that attacks the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. This is a terminal disease with a mortality rate of 80% within 5 years of diagnosis.
After completing our set (which included a testimony about my brother Peter who suffered brain damage at birth, discussing how the Lord places situations in our lives because He knows that we are strong enough to not only “handle them” but also to become a blessing to others by being an example of His glory and grace), Elizabeth brought Heather over to us (we were getting our equipment packed away and Heather was in her wheelchair that night). I was pumped to finally speak with her and get a first hand insight into who she is.
Heather was definitely willing to share her story with me and she showed a lot of strength. Once we got into things, I asked her if she was right with God and she replied by saying she was “getting there”. I understood because of all the questions she must have had about why God would “do this” or “allow this”. I asked if she was angry and she said that she had been, but it seemed like she was starting to understand, primarily because when I asked if she had any children, she said “no” because she wasn’t able and now she realizes why. This was definitely a faith statement that came from deep within Heather.
You know, when someone is going through an illness, a loss, a struggle, etc., many times they just want you to be there to listen. So many times we think by telling that person about our OWN struggles, it makes them feel better. It doesn’t. When ministering to someone who carries a heavy burden, the best we can do is to focus on them and be sure to listen carefully to what they are really saying. With Heather, listening told me that, even though she wasn’t yet able to come out and give a statement of faith, I know she’s opened the door for the Holy Spirit to enter and simply said, that’s all He needs. What I did tell her was that we don’t have answers to these questions because we’re not God. He is so complex that our minds can’t ever comprehend even the most “obvious” of His workings. In fact, if we find ourselves in the deepest of thought, trying to “understand” Him, we will ultimately find ourselves at a place of total faith because a common knowledge explanation isn’t possible. Those who do not believe, CHOOSE not to believe and if they were true to themselves, they would.
As for Heather, I know she believes and for that reason she’s going to be ok. Sure the disease will get worse and I’m not making light of that fact. However, I’m pretty confident she understands that the imperfection of this life is simple proof that there is perfection in life with the Lord.
As a performing musician, I’ve spent (probably too much) money on a very wide range of equipment. If you’re a fellow musician you absolutely know what I mean! For whatever reason, I’ve always gravitated towards multi-effect systems rather than single stomp box pedals because I like neatness… having everything in one “box” just makes sense to me.
Over the years, I’ve owned enough of them to basically open a music store! Each of them had their uses and none of them were “totally useless”. However, by design, a multi-effect is intended to be all things to all people and that is a VERY tall task for any effects manufacturer.
That said, the following is a list of multi’s I’ve owned and a brief commentary on each one. (Hey if you have one of these and it works for you, I’m all for it!!)
Size: The M9 can fit in a small shoebox. It’s tiny but perfectly set up for using your feet. Unless you have a size 17 shoe, you won’t hit two buttons at once unless you want to. The size blew me away when I saw it in person.
Looper: Included is a very useful, fully functional looper that allows you to record up to 56 seconds of audio. You can also overdub, erase, reverse and (most importantly) switch scenes and settings on the fly, allowing you to layer other cool tones. Looping is great for practice and also for writing. The only negatives are 1. you can’t save the loop once the unit is shut down and 2. it does not have an “auto start” like the DigiTech Jamman. Either way, the looper is just fine and IMO an added cool functionality of this unit.
Final thoughts on the Line6 M9 are that it is literally state of the art. You just won’t get the same reproduction of tone from any other multi effect unit. It’s meant to be used with an amp so if you’re looking for someting to go straight to the board, get the XTL. I now use it at church and keep my Bandit 112 low with a mic in front of it. Sounds better than the XTL. It’s not cheap at $399. However, if you look at it from the perspective of what you get inside, it’s an absolute steal. The only thing with the M9 is that it’s only going to live in front of your amp which, for many performing musicians these days, is limiting. I really like the M9 but returned it because it wasn’t the WHOLE package.
Now understand, in certain situations, these things are perfect (church for example).
So now, while playing at church or recording, I have yet another amp in my arsenal and my recent recordings are the proof. For example, this track is an example of a model of a Vox AC30TB that I created and recorded from the XLR output of the RP500 to the clean input of my DAW interface. (The solo track is what I did. The backing stuff is Garageband).
Needless to say I was very pleased with the RP500 sound and versatility but eventually, I realized that it still didn’t come close to the feel of a tube amp.
So for the right uses, the RP500 is the right choice.
UPDATE: As needs change, so does gear. I no longer have the RP500 because although it had some cool tones, I still missed the purity I get from a good tube amp (Classic 30). I did get the Line 6 M13 which is only stompboxes and a review is forthcoming….
THIS is why gear manufacturers are so wealthy!!
God Bless.
Joe Faraldi
jfaraldi@faraldi.com