My Gear Page
Updated January 2010 … I will be using this board for this year.
Click on the heading to go directly to the section with mini-reviews.
My signal chain right now is:
Fender Telecaster MIA/ Gibson Les Paul Studio
-> Boss TU2 -> Barber 1/2 Gainer -> Hermida Zendrive -> Xotic EP-Booster
-> Analogman Bi-Chorus -> Empress Tremolo -> Diamond ML
-> YCV40WR (with power-soak, Webber MiniMass)
Pedal Board — click here to see a small review of each
Pedalboard as of January 2010
Guitars — click here to see a small review of each
My Telecaster, Les Paul, Radiator
My Pedals
Xotic EP Booster :: January 2010
A nice boost pedal with tons of extra DB to boot. It is supposed to emulate the preamp section of the legendary Echoplex. However, having no access to such pedal, I can’t conclude how similar they sound. This pedal is more than just a boost, it adds a little something to the tone in a very good way. I have it on a default setting (Bright = ON, Bass = OFF). I just wished that the dip switch position outside instead of inside for easy access. Oh well, you can’t have it all. I like this a lot especially with the small footprint … definitely a keeper!
Here’s the link to their site: http://www.xotic.us
Barber 1/2 Gainer :: October 2009
Got this as an anniversary gift from my wife. It’s a dual channel OD with independent gain/volume controls and shared tone stack. The MIDS knob is very responsive and so is the TONE knob. It would have been a great pedal have they separated the tone stacks but this works just as good. It can cover a variety of sounds and has more than enough gain for some classic rock crunch.
Here’s the link to their site: http://barberelectronics.com/
Hermida Zendrive :: December 2008
A great overdrive with tons of tones to be had. I used it primarily for chunky rhythm work but also good for lead lines. Unfortunately, support is probably one of the worst that you can imagine. The only time you hear of Alf (owner & designer) is when somebody says something about his pedals on TGP or he has a new product. This is not dirt-cheap, so a little support will go a long way. BUT … for tone alone, this is a keeper!
Here’s the link to their site: Hermida Audio Technology
MaxxPlay Custom 373P+ :: Jun 2008
This not really an effects pedal. Its a custom input/output jack that can be used with or without an FX-loop on your amp. It was designed by me! Of course with more brilliant ideas from Ant (MaxxPlay), we came up with this version. The beauty is that there is no need to unplug anything from the board regardless if I want to go straight to the amp input with all pedals in pre-amp config or if I want my my dirtboxes in pre-amp and my modulation pedals to be in a post-amp config. I recommend it to everyone.
Here’s the link to Ant’s site: http://www.ElecTrick-GarAge.com
Ernie Ball VP Jr. :: March 2008
Its a passive volume pedal with a tuner out. I put it after my overdrives to control the overall level but not the amount of gain on my dirt boxes. That I will do with my guitar volume knob. Its smooth & quiet. We have to see how it will last after a bit of usage as I like doing volume swells with a volume pedal. I have the tuner out connected directly to my Boss TU2 so I don’t have to have that in front of my chain anymore.
Here’s the link to their site: http://www.ernieball.com/
Empress Tremolo :: October 2007
Its very organic and warm. The tap-tempo makes this pedal worthy of playing live. There are tons of interesting thing you can do with this pedal and a whole slew of sounds. I stick with the tube emulation & rhythm 1. I also set the rate ratio to 2:1 so that when I tap, I could tap the half-note but get the quarter notes instead. This makes it easy to tap eight-notes & sixteenth-notes. Very very cool. There is also a ramp function that would take the tempo from the tempo knob and then switches from that to the tapped-tempo. Ramping is cool! It’s a little hard to do in live situations and you can’t really overdo it. But it is there. Another keeper! Beware, its a little pricey compare to other pedals out there.
Here’s the link to their site: http://www.empresseffects.com/
Analogman Bi-Chorus :: May 2007
What else can I say, it’s a Chorus with 2 distinct settings. I bought the option with the deep switch. I can go from a very light to a very lush sounding chorus. You can also simulate a Leslie type sound and it still sounds good. There is a rotary switch inside for the mix of original signal and processed, very cool. Did I say that you can have 2 settings? My only gripe is that when the effect is off, all the led lights are also off so there is no knowing which of the 2 settings you have used last! Very frustrating sometimes 
All in all, it is still a better pedal than most out there. I will keep it ’til it dies on me.
Here’s the link to their site: http://www.analogman.com/
Diamond Memory Lane Delay :: April 2007
Let me just warn you, this thing is expensive! Its a delay pedal with tap-tempo. It sounds great and very warm. I could have gotten a T-Rex Replica to get the sub-division function but I opted for this all-analog circuitry. Now they have the new version with the subdivision for dotted-eight notes. It sucks that I have to pay extra money to get that functionality into mine. I might get another type later on for this functionality, maybe the Replica and/or a Giga-delay. The sound is great and the versatility of having the tap-tempo is unmatched.
Here’s the link to their site: http://www.diamondpedals.com/
Seymour Duncan SFX-03 :: Summer 2006
Amazing 2-channel overdrive. The first channel is very versatile. It can range from a very subtle to a saturated sound. What I liked about it is the way it responds to the string attack. Very very responsive! The second channel is ok. You can get some nice chunky overdriven sound and some lead tones. I hardly use it but when I do, it does not disappoint. The only gripe is the power supply. Its AC but the issue is the voltage needed is not standard. I am finding it hard to find a power pedal that can supply the power to this baby. I guess it is out of necessity to get the tube in to saturation easier. I might get an FD2 later on or maybe one of the new thing that may come out. Although I will keep this with me. It’s an instant classic 
Here’s the link to their site: http://www.seymourduncan.com/
Guitars
Fender American Standard Telecaster :: Oct 2008
Very nice and somewhat different for me. I really enjoy the versatility of this guitar even though I have only used it for less than a month. I will sure update this once I get to know this nice piece of gear more and more. The only other thing that I would do is to replace the strings with 10’s (Ernie Ball Regular Slinky).
Fender Mustang Bass (Re-Issue) :: Dec 2007
A short-scale bass guitar and nothing too fancy. It sounds very good especially with a quality preamp. It might not go well with other people’s taste but as a part-time bassist, this works well for me. I can still get a little bit of speed without having to worry of stretching my fingers too much. It does not sound as good for slap/pop and it is not as versatile as a J-bass or even a P-bass. For now, this is my one and only bass guitar. It might be a while before I get another one. Heck, I might not even get another one, that’s how much I love this bass!
Takamine G-Series (EG533SSC) :: Summer 2006
It’s a very nice warm-sounding dreadnought acoustic guitar loaded with a built in TK40 Preamp. It is made of solid Spruce top and Solid Sepele back with Rosewood fretboard. I bought this mainly as a replacement for my aging Yahama F-series guitar that I got for $100 in October of 1997. Now this is my work-horse for some acoustic work. It sounds great unplugged and it sounds huge when plugged.
Gibson Les Paul Studio (2001):: Spring 2003
I love this guitar. Still arguing about replacing the neck after the head-stock broke on me. Call me crazy, but I think it changed the character of this guitar a bit after it has been glued back together. I always get complement from other guitarists & even guitar techs on how nice this baby sounds. I have the black with gold hardware with stock pickups. I thought about replacing the pickups but then again, why mess with a good thing! A work-horse and this will always be my go-to guitar
Godin Radiator :: Summer 2000
My very first electric guitar! I bought this for around $300 CDN. It has already paid itself off after a few months of using it. I have learned many things while using this guitar and to continue with that, I still use this for practicing or learning new riffs/licks at home. It was well worth the money. Nothing special about this guitar except for its noiseless single-coil pickups that it came with. This no-frills guitar is great for beginners and for just day-to-day use. I am keeping this one!