Soda Jerk

Marshall Jackhammers are a more resiliant and a much smoother version of the Metalzone. The Metalzone will fizz and buzz where as the jackhammer is more refined and replicates an actual valve amp rather than a computer. Nice and crunchy and half the price. They are build like fucking tanks as well. Get one. The Marshall Guv'nor has the twang and response of a Marshall amp. Drop the gain and crank the mids and you get a really great sharp overdrive. High gain pedals are usually pretty shitty and not worth the money you spend, but the Jackhammer is a bit of alright. Sansamp pedals are expensive but worth looking into if you've got scratch to spend.

Yes, my opinions on the matter are complete "nonsense" because you don't agree with them. That's some fine debating right there. We might as well just have rolled up our sleeves and started punching each other if we were to keep it at this level of integrity. You describe music as a physical posession 'perishable' in an argument in favor of the MP3?! Baffling. A stereo holding a CD in it's tray is much more secure than a computer where a small virus can corrupt the file, or even accidental deletion can rid of it forever. An iPod is about as reliable as a chocolate fireguard. I've had two mp3 players crash and die without recovery, losing hundreds of music files. I've never had a stereo chew up my CD or just refuse to give it back. Arguing that MP3's are less volatile than music as a physical possession is just so wrong it even hurts a little. Besides, where's the collector aspect of it? Imagine if they decided to make all books and comics digital only? It would be chaos. The whole experience of buying and trading music, lending music to your friends goes out the window, and it just becomes so disposable. With the ease of downloading ANYTHING comes fickle listeners. I pay alot more attention to music I've paid for, because I've gone to the effort of getting it, and I know alot of people are the same. Downloads are so easily obtainable that no one really lets records grown on them anymore (I'm guilty of this myself), and music fads are coming and going faster than ever. Also, Hearing a band online first is completely different to buying on a whim without hearing them, and comparing the two makes no sense whatsoever. I am definitely not motivated to pay for files I may not like. At least with a record or CD, I'm likely to pay more attention to it, and if I really don't like it, I can sell it on or most likely trade it with someone for something else. As for quality, I have a fair share of stuff on my MP3 player ripped at 320kbps, and when listening through GOOD headphones at high volumes, I can tell the difference. You can not argue that it isn't a step backwards as far as audio technology is concerned, and I shouldn't have to listen to it at a low volume just to be able to hear it without having it fizz and crackle.

Ripping your own CD's to MP3 is a completely different kettle of fish to ALL music releases becoming digital only. I'm all for MP3 if it's as a back-up format, to put on your computer or MP3 player ripped directly from your CD's and records, but when it shifts completely to just ONE output, then that's just not right. People who don't have the internet are alienated. The figure of how many people have the internet is staggeringly high, but there are still a shit tonne of people who don't. Are they not allowed to buy music? The people who don't have an MP3 player; are they only allowed to listen to music through their Soundblaster 1.1 and Tinbox speakers? And I can definitely tell the difference when I plug my MP3 player into my stereo in comparison to playing a CD on it. It clips at higher volumes, as I like it loud! But that's not the point. It's still a deterioation in quality, and a step backwards for technology. It doesn't make sense.

Guitars are different to amps when it comes to the price, most of the time. if the guitar is made out of good, solid wood and there's no dry spots on the neck, then you can make that guitar sound as good as you want it to be with some shifting of electronics and a damn good set up. You can pick up a second hand Pacifica for around 100 and Yamaha don't make bad guitars. Their entry level models have ruled that market for years and years, and with some fine tuning, a bog standard Pacifica can be a fine piece of work. I have two, and they give my ESP Viper a run for it's money. The build quality and workmanship of Epiphone these days is also outstanding. Another overlooked brand is Vintage who make better SG copies than anyone, except for Gordon Smith. However, most of the time, a guitar under 500 will have dogshit stock pickups. With amps, a solid state amp will almost always be inferior to a valve amp. You can make a cheap valve amp even better with the right modifications, but modding a solid state amp will rarely make it surpass the quality of a valve amp. There's some great solid state amps available, but they can cost big money and still only just replicate real valve tone.

It'd be a grand shame if record stores did lose out to digital releasing. MP3's are so volatile and can easily corrupt or be deleted. How can you pay money for something so disposable? Besides, MP3's are such an inferior quality output and it really renders great production completely redundant. Are bands and artists going to continue to record and produce their records at top quality levels if they are to just be compressed to a scrappy, tinbox treblefest format? Sure, I have an MP3 player for when I'm on the go but it doesn't compare to a CD or a record playing on a Stereo. It has no character or warmth. Television is striving to make the quality of the picture better and better at a ridiculous pace. Why is audio output going backwards? But it's not just the quality of the file. You don't get the awesome packaging or the mindless browsing in record shops, or the buying records on a whim because it's on a cool label, or someone from some other band played drums on it, or because the artwork is just fucking great. You get 10 or 12 files in your My Music folder, and your CD rack is empty. You don't get to browse through the inlay on the bus home, or fight with those shitty annoying white things at the top of the jewelcase, tearing it off and sticking it to the unsderside of a bus seat. You just get 80MB less of your hard drive and quality that sounds not dissimilar to the shit those neds play on their phones on the bus. It's just not the same. It's crappy.

I used to have a Marshall Valvestate head. I used to tell people it was awesome. When I got a valve amp, I realised why they thought I was an idiot.

"some other guy" ??? What the fuck?! BAD BRAINS! BAD FUCKING BRAINS!

I've never painted a guitar body, but I have sanded down a Stratocaster, past the enamel black finish to the natural wood, and finished it with a grain wax. Changed all the plastic hardware to black, so it's in the vein of a Springsteen Telecaster, but not a Telecaster obviously. I love Natural Wood coloured guitars. Paint just ruins them

Hot valves create my overdrive. I sometimes use a Marshall Guv'nor at a very low gain setting alongside my amp with the gain cranked just for a bit of boost. It adds a bit of extra crunch which my amp needs sometimes. I use a JCM2000 DSL, I had the gain channel modded to get rid of the Fizzy piercing high end and added some JCM800 style warmth to it. It meant it lost a bit of gain, but the Guv'nor brings it back if I need it. I seem to be straying away from crushing high gain tones though, and going for a more crunchy drive. I'd rather have valves creating the drive than an OD/DS pedal any day. You just don't get the same response from a pedal or a solid state preamp.

There must be someone in Aberdeen that doesn't want to play gay metal?

Drummer and Bassist required. Looking to play sort of off-kilter indie rock, along the lines of The Evens, Karate, Minutemen and Fugazi (mainly The Argument era. The quieter dub stuff). I play guitar and I'm looking to do vocals too. If you can sing as well, that'd be neat for harmonies and such. Give us a shout if you're interested.

In either chrome, nickel or black. Just not Gold. Gold harware is for nutters. To fit standard bridge humbucker in a Pacifica 912J, so I assume it'll be trem spaced (53mm I think) Anyone got one lying about? R&B don't have them in, and if I register to ebay, it'll only take weeks before I owe them my life. There's too much stuff on there I want. Please help me cover up Yamaha's gastly white plastic hardware. Chairs x

Karate owned. This is the closest we'll ever get to Karate again. Farina has tinnitus or some wimpy shit. Says he'll never play loud music again.

MySpace.com - Glorytellers - Boston, Massachusetts - Grime / Glam / Ghettotech - www.myspace.com/glorytellers Geoff Farina's latest project has recently released it's debut self titled record, and it's ace. It's a lazy comparison, but Farina's melodies and structure make this sound more like an acoustic Karate project than anything else. Anyone with any interest in Karate or The Secret Stars should give this a listen. They are due to be touring the UK, and it's being touted directly by Southern Records, if any Aberdeen promoters are interested, you should give them a bell. Hell, I'd even help, if it meant bringing Geoff Farina and his Glorytellers to the North East Seriously good. Farina is the king.

Anyone want? It's being part ex'd against another guitar on Friday if no one wants it. 70 is a steal.

'Jim Deacon' Explorer copy guitar. FOR CHEAP! Gold hardware, stock JD pickups, set neck with a solid Alder body. Wine red finish with white scratchplate, rosewood fingerboard and all that junk. For a cheapo Jim Deacon guitar, the build quality is very impressive. Comes with a brand new (still tagged) Explorer fitted Gig Bag, with pockets, shoulder straps and everything! Sounds fine, and plays fine. Could really do with a good set up and the right gauge strings to match the action of the guitar. The high frets on the high E string have some buzzing and muting, but it's never been set up properly. Here's some pictures... (Not great quality and kind of dark. Apart from 2 or 3 very minor scuffs, it's in perfect condition!) The whole thing. Hand not included. The gold hardware. Gold knobs included (They didn't come as standard. I can give you the black plastic knobs if you prefer them) The headstock. I don't know who Jim Deacon is, but his guitars are alright. I wanted one because I yearned for a pointy guitar. The novelty has worn off and there's no room for it in my flat (It won't lean against the wall very well because it has a huge pointy arse). I can meet you in town with it, Or you're welcome to come to my flat and give it a shred. Like I say, it needs a set up to sort out the string buzz/muting, but that is only on 3 frets towards the very high end of the fretboard on the high E string. The pointy axe and a (brand new!!) bag that fits the pointy guitar inside for just 60. I can't really go any lower than that, but it's a steal at that price. The case was 1/3 of the price alone. The three gold metal (telecaster style) knobs weren't much less. Mega. PM or reply here and we'll talk business.

How's the DIY circuit in Dundee? I heard of alot of awesome stuff happening in those parts around the time our tour hit there.

Yes, I was in It's Broken! I'd mail you a the split tape with Owl of Justice but I don't think I even have my own copy. To be honest though, you're probably better off without it Whilst recording it, I got into a right mood because I was unhappy with my guitar tone. I think you can actually hear me throwing a strop between the song silences. I dunno if they are carrying on. Their singer emigrated to Canada. I was going to do vocals for them, but I moved up here. Arguably more glamerous than stinkin' Canada.

Two more awesome bands from down my old way. Both shortlived too, but very good. My old band toured last summer with Ricky Jupiter Lander's new band which came up as far as Dundee. We sold more Jupiter Lander records than our own. Pop stars.

Wow, Didn't expect Shittalker to have made a name for themselves up here. Good band, buy don't play very much. Especially not outside of Leeds. At least not when I lived there anyway. I hate Cap'n Jazz though.

Proper bo. How much would I be looking at? It needs more low end, and it needs to be... er... Good! Less fizz, more crunch!

Yeah, The MG is crap, but it's only for my living room. I don't need fantastic tone in there, and as I say, sounds fine with the Jackhammer. I was just curious if anything can be done to the Metal Zone. But I don't use either with my DSL, which is fine on just the gain channel.

What other stuff are you into? I'm into more contemporary punk rock, but namedropping the first Offspring record, I assume you're after an older, more Dead Kennedys based style?

I don't use it with my main rig, which is a modded JCM2000 DSL50. I just use the gain channel on that. I just use it at home through a Marshall MG 30 watt combo. It's a crappy amp, but it's just for home use. Sounds fine with a Marshall Jackhammer running into it, but the Metalzone just has piercing fizzy highs. It needs more low frequencies, and just a warmer presence to it. No idea what settings I have it atthe moment. I've never found a setting I like, and I do like metallic distortion

I'm the only person I know who owns the Randy Macho Man Savage album. You bet your balls it's good!