Pro Tone Pedals

Monster Eyes are back in stock

Dennis M — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:39:00 GMT

Need eyes for your Monster Fuzz? They're back in stock. Let me know if you want to order a set.

Buzzard & Flying Eye Teaser Video

Dennis M — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 04:33:00 GMT

Full length videos coming soon... in the mean time enjoy these 18 seconds.

South By Southwest (and new Tshirts are in)

Dennis M — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:24:00 GMT

OK gang... as most of you know we'll be out at the big South By Southwest music conference next week. If you want to keep up on all of the goings-on make sure you connect with us on FaceBook and follow us on Twitter- @ProTonePedals.

We'll be posting photos, videos and all sorts of other cool stuff directly from the guitar show and random performances by Pro Tone Pedals artisits.

For those of you in Austin for the show, swing by and visit us at the Convention Center. The doors are open to the public, and the show is 100% FREE. We're at booth #105 with some killer new pedals, and some awesome surprises.

1 last thing... the Pro Tone T shirt is IN!! Order yours NOW before they're gone!

Be well!

Dennis

Keep up with Pro Tone Pedals via FaceBook!

Dennis M — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:45:00 GMT

We're doing a ton of updating over on Facebook... seems that's where the people are, so I thought I would make it easier for you guys to follow whats going on here at PTP central.

Pro Tone Pedals on Facebook

1st look (and listen) at the Buzzard Bass Overdrive

Dennis M — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:17:00 GMT

Here it is kiddos- the Buzzard Overdrive. Designed for bass, but KILLS on guitar as well. I'll do some guitar clips soon.

A Beginners Guide to Distortion

Dennis M — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:41:00 GMT

We're seeing a surprising amount of 1st time pedal buyers swing by the Pro Tone website with questions regarding what pedals to buy, how to choose them and so on. So I thought I would write a few posts on the topic.
These posts will be aimed at our less experienced brothers and sisters, so show support to the kids with productive feedback.

First up is distortion- lets take a look at how to choose what is probably the most important pedal in your toolbox.

Choosing the right distortion pedal is crucial. Your 'voice' depends on you selecting the right tool (or tools) to express yourself. Selecting the wrong distortion pedal can have serious impact on your guitar playing, and can even result in playing less due to your unhappiness with your tone.

The first, and most obvious, step in selecting the right distortion pedal is to determine what musical genre you're going to primarily use it for. Will you be playing vintage thrash metal, or modern country? These days most effects pedals are fine tuned to be genre specific. This is not always the case, but enough so to help a user reading this beginners guide. Once you've determined the genre of music, you'll need to match it with the distortion pedal most often associated with that genre. Lets take a look at a list of classic distortion pedal sub categories:

Fuzz- Fuzz pedals are primarily thought of as the domain of classic rockers like Hendrix, but modern day artists like the White Stripes are getting some amazing results.

Ike Turner and the Kinks achieved their landmark tones by using abused speaker cabinets. Ike dropped his on the street walking in to Sun Records to record Rocket 88, the Kinks cut their speakers with knives or so the legends have it. No matter how they got it, their tone changed the world. Some call it distortion, some call it fuzz, however, seeing the progression from these damaged speakers to the fuzz boxes built to emulate those tones, I think its safest to call what Turner and Davies created/stumbled upon was fuzz.

Overdrive- Overdrive pedals are generally thought of in a blues rock setting. Stevie Ray Vaughn was a big believer in overdrive pedals.

When most guitarists talk about overdrive, they are referring to the smooth 'distortion' produced by their tube amps when driven to the point of breaking up. Overdrive pedals are designed to either replicate this tone (with limited success) or drive a tube amp into overdrive, creating those screaming tubes beyond what they normally would be able to do without wall shaking volume.

Distortion- Based on our above definition of overdrive, distortion is where overdrive leaves off. In the rock guitar world think Van Halen and beyond for a clear example of a classic distorted guitar tone. Distortion pedals often emulate high gain amps that create thick walls of sound small amps are not capable of creating. Distortion pedals are crucial to modern guitar tone.

Now that you've matched your musical genre to the distortion pedal most associated with the genre the real fun begins- testing them. Before you begin testing you'll want to read reviews, listen to audio clips and watch video clips posted all over the internet to find some good candidates.

Tips:

You're going to want to test the pedals using equipment as close to your own as possible. If you can, I would recommend taking your guitar to the shop and test drive the pedals with YOUR guitar. Because there are so many different variables including body and neck wood, pick-up, string gauge and many more, using your instrument as opposed to something off the shelf is the best way to go.

Don't forget you're going to need another cable- 1 to go from your guitar to your distortion pedal, and another to go from distortion to your amp. 2 cables of 5 feet in length will be perfect for most settings. Longer cable runs are a mess and bring possible tone loss. Shorter cable runs might make mobility tough... and lets face it, its hard to jump from a drum riser (or bed) if you're tethered by a 3 foot cable.

New Pro Tone Pedals Tee Shirt

Dennis M — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:14:00 GMT

The LOOONG wait for a cool Pro Tone Pedals T-shirt is over!!
Long time Pro Tone artist Skummie has come up with a beautiful piece of art showcasing the line between filth and beauty.

Pre-order yours now! $12.00 +S&H

Which do you like, and what should it sound like?

Dennis M — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 06:09:00 GMT

I know we've been quiet around here lately. Lots going on, super busy with new dealers, distributors, and designs. So lets have some feedback on something new... Which image do you like more? the zoomed or the full bird? But more importantly, what should it sound like? Maybe something for our bass playing brothers???
tell me what you think

2010 Winter NAMM Announcement

Dennis M — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:34:00 GMT

It's that time of year again. The winter holidays are all behind us and we are looking at the next big event- NAMM in L.A.

Pro Tone Pedals has made the painful decision to skip winter NAMM this year. We've decided to stay at the shop and work on getting product to those who continue to support what we do by getting more product out faster.

We've got some exciting things planned for 2010. Here are a few of the highlights:

No less than 5 new pedal designs
Face-lifts coming to most units
New graphic artists will join the fold to continue pushing the limits of pedal art

Thank you all for your amazing support over the course of 2009! 2010 is shaping up to be an amazing year...Stay up to date- be sure to subscribe to the Pro Tone Peals newsletter.

Here's to the promise of a rocking 2010!

Dennis

Black Friday Blem Clearance

Dennis M — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:34:00 GMT

Its Black Friday.

From what I understand everyone is supposed to have a sale... Heres ours:

I hate selling blems, but I've got a bunch. So... I figure I would pass some killer savings on to you rather than spend the energy resurfacing these pedals.

Here's what we've got-

Monster Fuzztortion $129 1 at this price ADD TO CART

Dead Horse Overdrive $129 2 at this price ADD TO CART

Raven Dirty Chorus $189- thats $100 off the list price! 2 at this price ADD TO CART

Peligro Fuzz $119 2 at this price ADD TO CART

Jason Becker LIMITED EDITION $259 2 at this price ADD TO CART

Skumstortion $109 1 at this price ADD TO CART

As always, there's nothing wrong with these guys under the hood, they just don't look as good as we like them to look. They all come with full warranties.

Almost time to get the Loomis Prototypes

Dennis M — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:27:00 GMT

OK gang...

The Jeff Loomis prototype overdrives go on sale in just about 45 minutes.

Special Announcement-

We have a VERY special Limited Edition Jason Becker Distortion Pedal- owned and played by Jeff- pretty cool, huh??

NOON Central time (45 minutes from now) this link: http://protonepedals.com/?p=373 will go live, and you'll be able to grab these boxes.

Reminder- these prototypes are falt out killer pedals regardless of the fact that Loomis played them... so check em out http://protonepedals.com/?p=373

Be well.

Dennis

PS- If you have any questions that are not answered when this address http://protonepedals.com/?p=373http://protonepedals.com/?p=373 goes live at NOON you can I.M. me- I'll be taking questions live.

My Windows Live ID is ProTonePedals@hotmail.com

Interested in prototypes of the shelved Jeff Loomis Sig Pedal?

Dennis M — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:31:00 GMT

Hey gang... most of you know that for a while we were in talks with Jeff Loomis to produce a signature pedal. Well, the idea has been shelved- no hard feelings anywhere... its just business.

SO- what I've got available is pretty cool- 5 prototypes played by Jeff and I want them to go out to his fans. All 5 of them are different overdrive pedals- all of them are top fucking notch tone monsters.

THESE ARE NOT DISTORTION PEDALS. These are overdrive pedals made to compliment a raging amp.

Let me know if you're interested and I'll post more details and what not, and I'll do what I can for you.

Dennis

New Monster Fuzz Demo Video

Dennis M — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:31:00 GMT

Product Demo Videos

Dennis M — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:26:00 GMT

Hey gang...
We need some help- we've got product video shoots scheduled for this week, but we want to know what you want!

Which pedals do you need to see more of?
Do you want side by side comparisons?
How long do you prefer videos to be? Quick and to the point, or long and in depth?

Tell us what you NEED to see in order to be convinced that these babies kick ass.

Dennis

Paul Raven Tribute Song by Al Jourgensen & Mark Gemini Thwaite

Dennis M — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:24:00 GMT

Ministry/Mission collaboration xmas single release... "IT’S ALWAYS CHRISTMAS TIME" AL JOURGENSEN / MGT EXCLUSIVE WORLD DEBUT ON THE MANCOW SHOW Broadcast scheduled for November 6, 2009 at 8:35 AM CST "It’s Always Christmas Time” -a collaborative carol from Al Jourgensen (Ministry, RevCo) and Mark Gemini Thwaite (The Mission UK, Peter Murphy, Mob Research) -will have its Exclusive World Debut on The Mancow Show (USA) on November 6, 2009. www.mancow.com Scheduled for broadcast at 8:35 AM CST, the track was originally streamed via the official Ministry MySpace page as a memorial to friend and band mate Paul Raven (Ministry, Killing Joke, Mob Research) on the two-year anniversary of his passing in 2007. Through their friendship with Raven, both Jourgensen and Thwaite met and began working on this project together. The first fruit of their labors, “It’s Always Christmas Time,” is a tribute to the life and work of Paul Raven, and received in excess of 5000 plays during its 24- hour stream on MySpace. Of the collaboration with Jourgensen, guitarist MarkGT offers, "Recently, Al invited me to the 13th Planet compound to record guitars on some of the new RevCo material Al’s producing. He then invited me to collaborate on his first ever 'solo' project, which is surprisingly radio friendly. It feels like home for me as Raven was a close mutual friend of ours - and we both feel his spirit smiling down on our union!" Jourgensen joins Mancow live during the premiere of “It’s Always Christmas Time,” taking calls during the live broadcast and adding his irascible charm to the hit radio show. . A Special Limited Edition hand-numbered and autographed cd of “It’s Always Christmas Time” will be available exclusively through the 13th Planet web-store, http://thirteenthplanetstore.com with a digital version will be available for download the week of November 15th.

Demo Unit Clearance

Dennis M — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:26:00 GMT

After an amazing showing at the Arlington Guitar Show... we've got a few demonstration units to sell. Because they were used as demo units, they can not be sold as new, BUT they sound fantastic- hell we used them to demonstrate just how awesome they sound!
Some of these will have slight blemishes as they were used at the show.
We also have a couple Godlyke Power All (PA9) units available- we used them to power the pedals at the show. Enough jibber jabber... on with the goodies:

Jason Becker Demo unit- 2 available- $219-

Red Label Premium Overdrive Demo unit- 1 available- $249-

Black Label Premium Overdrive Demo unit- 2 available- $249-

Gold Label Premium Overdrive Demo unit- 1 available- $249-

Godlyke PA9 Power All Pedal Power- 2 available- $13-

Introducing the Premium Overdrive: Black Label

Dennis M — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:00:00 GMT

We studied countless vintage Marshall amplifiers to discover how to get that sought after 'plexi' tone from just about any amp you plug into. The Black Label Overdrive is the fruit of this labor of love.

The beauty of the Black Label Overdrive is its elegant simplicity. The overdrive ranges from just a touch of grit at the lower settings to a hot rodded roar when pushed harder. While the volume control allows you to restrain the overall volume of the unit, you might just find yourself leaving the it at maximum and using your guitars volume control when you need a bit less. Rolling back your guitars volume will ease the distortion, while maintaining the lush plexi colorings.

The Shape switch allows you to select the shape of the clipping by altering the diode configuration. The first setting is a bass heavy, somewhat cleaner and louder tone that fits fantastically with any blues based rock scenario. The 2nd setting has more gain on tap with slightly less bottom end. This setting is perfect for a classic rock tone in the vein of Thin Lizzy & Aerosmith.

The Black Label Overdrive is powered by a 9 volt battery or industry standard negative tip power supply. Hint: if you own a VooDoo Labs Pedal Power 2 experiment with the Black Label powered by one of the 'sag' controlled jacks, and find your favorite sweet spot.
$349

Gold Label Premium Overdrive Demo Video

Dennis M — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:35:00 GMT

By popular demand, a quick video of the Gold Label Premium Overdrive. More to come...

Introducing the Premium Overdrive: Gold Label

Dennis M — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:40:00 GMT

Pro Tone Pedals is proud to offer the Gold Label Overdrive, the first in the Premium Overdrive line.
The Gold Label Overdrives 18 volt circuit was designed to deliver lush overdrive with the head room to provide a rich clean boost. The Gold Label Overdrive is not for everybody.
This luxurious overdrive was designed for players with exacting tastes in equipment by playing to the strengths of the 'beauty in simplicity' of vintage amps and modern recreations of those timeless designs.
The Gold Label Overdrives touch sensitivity will astound you as the subtleties of your technique are audible like never before.
As a tone seeker, you understand the significance of your overdrive running on 18 volts. The Gold Label operates on a 9 volt power supply, with an internal voltage converter converting that 9 into 18 volts.
18 volts provides more balanced power and head room which allows for a unwavering, full-spectrum reproduction of your guitars pure signal.
The Gold Label Overdrive creates huge tone by fusing its distortion with your clean signal. The Drive knob controls this functionality by adjusting the amount of gain and the mix of clean signal. With the drive set low the Gold Label Overdrive acts as a gorgeous clean boost. The Gold Label Overdrive will be the last overdrive pedal you'll ever need to invest in.

$349.00

The Premium Overdrive Line Is Nearly Complete

Dennis M — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:34:00 GMT

I'm excited to say that the Premium Overdrives are almost done. The Red Label and the Gold Label overdrives are both 100% complete... prototyping the Black Label this week.

These babies will make their debut at the Arlington Guitar Show Oct 17th and 18th 2009 here in Texas.

I know a lot of you are chomping at the bit to get more info... but all in good time. Just rest assured these will NOT be for the average player out there, they will sound fucking amazing, and they will carry a very heavy price tag! NONE of them are in any way based on the Tube Screamer... so don't let that thought even enter your mind. These are tonal beasts designed to compliment high end gear... again they are not for the masses. Be well, Dennis

Use your ears- Eddie and Stevie lied

Dennis M — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:26:00 GMT

If you watched the video I put together on distortion noise, then you have a preview into this rant:

Eddie Van Halen and Stevie Ray Vaughn are liars!

I've never met either of them- but I saw Stevie play with Jeff Beck just a few weeks before he died. Either way... I've never met them, I'm sure they're both cool cats, but lets call a spade a spade here:
Both SRV and EVH are famous in part for their legendary use & abuse of booze and cocaine.

But whats this got to do with anything?

For years we've been force fed the myth that SRV can hear the difference in the chip used in his Tube Screamer and that EVH can hear the difference in short cable lengths... I call bullshit!

The argument
First lets look at the common sense side of my bullshit argument- As musicians we've all PROBABLY known a drunk or 2... and chances are good we've come across a few coke heads in our time. Now let me ask this- how often did you trust a word out of their mouths? How often did they make exaggerated claims, or just flat out fucking lie?

Now lets look at the medical fact that cocaine use effects your hearing.
Its pretty common knowledge that cocaine causes 'auditory hallucinations', but one thing that folks don't realize is how it destroys your ability to hear high end. It tends to muddy your hearing. Need proof? Listen to albums for the 70s and 80s... hear all that treble? They couldn't hear how much treble they put in the mix!

What am I getting at
This is NOT an anti drug and alcohol post. This is a don't believe the hype post. Let your ears be the judge of your equipment. Fuck the Gear Page, Harmony Centrals boards and the rest of them with self proclaimed gurus with nothing better to do then work on increasing their post count. They spend more time in front of a keyboard then they do behind their instrument... dont listen to them, unless of course they tell you to buy Pro Tone Pedals.

When it comes to your tone
Let your ears decide whats best for you! If you've got a shrill guitar and like the way a long cable run mellows it out, then run with it. If you've got an overdrive that isn't based on the TI4558 chip but you love what it does to your amp... then be proud of it! Who gives a shit what a couple of old drunks think... its your fucking tone!

Dennis

PS-
For what its worth- I honestly believe that SRV and EVH had the best tone in the respective genres.

What slowed down the production and release of the Shrunken Heads?

Dennis M — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:49:00 GMT

Good question!

A bunch of stuff held up (or still is holding up) the release of the Heads. However, 1 key component put a screeching halt on the whole thing.

Something was missing.

A few weeks ago I built a few of the Shrunken Heads to start doing some recording with them. I had a brilliant idea for a YouTube clip, but couldn't execute it because SOMETHING was still missing.

Then it hit me-
If we're emulating heads, we need to emulate a cab, too!

Part of the awesomeness of the Shrunken Heads is the ability to get huge amp tones without needing a huge amp. Now, lets take that 1 step further. Say I want to record huge amp tones WITHOUT an amp.

We need to emulate a cabinet and we need to emulate it well.
Would be even cooler if it were able to be plugged directly into your computer.

So thats what we're working on now- a cabinet emulator for the Shrunken Heads that can be used as a D.I. box to go directly into your computer or into a mixing board.

I'll keep you posted!

Dennis

Taming Distortion Noise The Movie

Dennis M — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 02:50:00 GMT

Grab the PDF version of this video HERE

R.I.P. Les Paul

Dennis M — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:40:00 GMT

I dont really know what to say about it at the time. Les' impacts and gifts to the music world has been so life altering I'm at a loss. So for now, heres the story from CNN...

Les Paul, whose innovations with the electric guitar and studio technology made him one of the most important figures in recorded music, has died, according to a statement from his publicists. Paul was 94.

Les Paul, whose innovations helped give rise to modern pop music, played guitar into his 90s.

Paul died in White Plains, New York, from complications of severe pneumonia, according to the statement.

Paul was a guitar and electronics mastermind whose creations -- such as multitrack recording, tape delay and the solid-body guitar that bears his name, the Gibson Les Paul -- helped give rise to modern popular music, including rock 'n' roll. No slouch on the guitar himself, he continued playing at clubs into his 90s despite being hampered by arthritis.

"If you only have two fingers [to work with], you have to think, how will you play that chord?" he told CNN.com in a 2002 phone interview. "So you think of how to replace that chord with several notes, and it gives the illusion of sounding like a chord."

"The world has lost a truly innovative and exceptional human being today. I cannot imagine life without Les Paul," said Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar. "He would walk into a room and put a smile on anyone's face. His musical charm was extraordinary and his techniques unmatched anywhere in the world."

Lester William Polfuss was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on June 9, 1915. Even as a child he showed an aptitude for tinkering, taking apart electric appliances to see what made them tick.

"I had to build it, make it and perfect it," Paul said in 2002. He was nicknamed the "Wizard of Waukesha."

In the 1930s and '40s, he played with the bandleader Fred Waring and several big band singers, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and the Andrews Sisters, as well as with his own Les Paul Trio. In the early 1950s, he had a handful of huge hits with his then-wife, Mary Ford, such as "How High the Moon" and "Vaya Con Dios."

His guitar style, heavily influenced by jazzman Django Reinhardt, featured lightning-quick runs and double-time rhythms. In 1948, after being involved in a severe car accident, he asked the doctor to set his arm permanently in a guitar-playing position.

Paul also credited Crosby for teaching him about timing, phrasing and preparation.

Crosby "didn't say it, he did it -- one time only. Unless he blew the lyrics, he did one take."

Paul never stopped tinkering with electronics, and after Crosby gave him an early audiotape recorder, Paul went to work changing it. It eventually led to multitrack recording; on Paul and Ford's hits, he plays many of the guitar parts, and Ford harmonizes with herself. Multitrack recording is now the industry standard.

But Paul likely will be best remembered for the Gibson Les Paul, a variation on the solid-body guitar he built in the early 1940s -- "The Log" -- and offered to the guitar company.

"For 10 years, I was a laugh," he told CNN in an interview. "[But] kept pounding at them and pounding at them saying hey, here's where it's at. Here's where tomorrow, this is it. You can drown out anybody with it. And you can make all these different sounds that you can't do with a regular guitar."

Gibson, spurred by rival Fender, finally took Paul up on his offer and introduced the model in 1952. It has since become the go-to guitar for such performers as Jimmy Page.

Paul is enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Inventors Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is survived by three sons, a daughter, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Until recently he had a standing gig at New York's Iridium Jazz Club, where he would play with a who's-who of famed musicians.

He admired the places guitarists and engineers took his inventions, but he said there was nothing to replace good, old-fashioned elbow grease and soul.

"I learned a long time ago that one note can go a long way if it's the right one," he said in 2002, "and it will probably whip the guy with 20 notes."

Taming high gain distortion noise THE MOVIE

Dennis M — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:43:00 GMT

Alright gang... to continue our discussion on distortion noise I've gone ahead and made a video for you. Essentially it boils down the 2 blog posts- part 1 & part 2 into a 17 minute video clip. Here it is... share and comment!

technorati claim... sorry subscribers

Dennis M — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 20:44:00 GMT

q25uvx3j8t

technorati claim... sorry subscribers

Want $50 off the Jason Becker or Rusty Cooley signature pedals?

Dennis M — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 20:17:00 GMT

Hey shredders-
We've teamed up with our good friends at the Truth In Shredding blog to bring you a killer deal! Up for grabs to ANYONE that submits a video to the SHRED THIS contest is a $50 discount off the Jason Becker Distortion or the Rusty Cooley Overdrive.

For the full details on the contest check out the Truth In Shredding blog

Pro Tone Pedals Podcast #14- 7 Degrees Of Rusty Cooley

Dennis M — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 00:55:00 GMT

Here it is gang... Pro Tone Pedals Pod Cast #14!

We listen to The Absence, Tony Smotherman, The Sean Baker Orchestra, and Outworld.

Show Notes/Links:

Whats the most you've spent on a pedal?

Dennis M — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:59:00 GMT

Hey gang-

Here's a multi-part question for you...

Whats the most you've ever spent on a pedal
What was it (not the brand, just what was the category- delay, distortion etc.)
Has it delivered on the hype that made you buy it

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, we're designing a premium overdrive and we're still looking for your input. So, hop on over there and give some feedback, leave us some info here on the question above.

I ask for your input because I can build pedals that I love all year long... but, honestly, that doesn't pay very well. YOU GUYS have to love them, too, in order for us to make a dime.
The only way that I know of to make you to love our stuff is by asking you what you want and then going out and building that for you.

This OD won't derail the launch of the Shrunk Heads or signature series expansions- we're constantly looking 6-9 months out on our development plans... but you never know when you're going to stumble on something so cool it cant be contained.

So give me some input, let me know you're out there...

Be well,

Dennis

Enter to win an autographed Rusty Cooley Overdrive!

Dennis M — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:49:00 GMT

Sign up to win an autographed Rusty Cooley Overdrive Pedal!

Rusty Cooley needs no introduction... but in case you've been living under a rock for the last year lets run down what he's been up to- 2 FULL length instructional DVD's, a brand new signature guitar from Dean- the RC7X, a guest spot on the Sean Baker Orchestras newest CD, a collaboration with Derek Sherinian on Derek's latest CD... do I really need to keep going?

Just enter your name and Email addy and you'll be entered to win Rusty Cooleys secret tonal weapon!

Want to use YouTube to host your audio?

Dennis M — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:30:00 GMT

Guys-
Here's a quick tip, not at all related to pedals... but you band guys out there might find some use.

If you've got a song or some sound clips that you want to stream on your website, but are unsure about the streaming/linking/bandwidth you CAN use YouTube for audio.

Here's what you do:

Add some still photos to your music in order to make it a 'video'. It can be as simple as a black screen with your bands logo in the center... just some visual that makes it a video.
Upload it to YouTube.
Grab the YouTube provided embed link
Post the embed code into your website wherever you want to have the play button.
Find the HEIGHT tag in the embed code, there should be 2. Set them both to 25 pixels. I don't think you HAVE to set them both to work correctly, if I recall, just setting the second height tag will work just fine.

Viola, you're done. Now you've got the standard YouTube control buttons- play, volume, etc... without the video screen right there on your blog or website.

How is this helpful?

YouTube offers some AMAZING statistics on the videos they host; including where your crowd STOPS paying attention. So post a song, and if you see people stop listening before you even get to the chorus, maybe you should retool it to bring the hook in sooner.

You can also use this to leave audio comments in MySpace. Rather than being the annoying band that posts your video, you can just post the audio bar and people might appreciate that a little more.

YouTube is all about viral, upload anything and it grows legs whether you want it to or not.

The biggest up side is the ability to post lengthy audio interviews or podcasts. This helps on the server load on your website... again with killer stats tracking.

Have fun!

Dennis

Premium Overdrive... need your input!

Dennis M — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 06:10:00 GMT

Gang,

I'm looking to do a serious premium elite type overdrive pedal. But I want your feedback.

Tell me about your favorite overdrive pedal and tell me WHY you like it.

Dennis

Killer review of the Jason Becker Distortion Pedal

Dennis M — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:15:00 GMT

I just read an amazing write up on the Jason Becker Distortion Pedal. Go read for yourself, heres the link, its a fantastic review!

Thanks to the guys over at Frugal Guitarist!

Dennis

Only a few left

Dennis M — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:44:00 GMT

Guys-
Just a real quick note... we're down to the final hand full of Limited Edition Jason Becker Distortion Pedals. So if you want one go grab it quick!

Dennis

$59 Thrusters!!

Dennis M — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:48:00 GMT

Gang,
We're clearing out the Thruster Boost pedals we've got on hand to make room for the TOTALLY redesigned bad ass... You can grab em at $59.99 a pop. I've got 1 on Ebay now, but I have 5 available. So if you miss this one, shoot me an Email and I'll set you up with one for that price while they last.
These babies are fully built and ready for IMMEDIATE shipping. Any purchased tonight, July 10th will ship with some extra goodies.

Be well!
Dennis

Pro Tone Pedals Podcast #13

Dennis M — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:47:00 GMT

Podcast #13-

we listen to Derek Sherinian's track featuring Rusty Cooley
I extend my gratitude to the U.S. armed forces
we cover the Shrunken Heads early release program
I cover the new blog I've started that is geared towards marketing in the music industry
finally we listen to the Skumstortion and the Body Rot II

Show notes for podcast #13

5th Fret Blog
Taming High Gain Distortion Noise PDF
Shrunken Heads info
Pro Tone Biz Blog
Skumstortion Vs Body Rot II Video

Body Rot II and the Skumstortion side by side

Dennis M — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:24:00 GMT

I got a lot of reuests to see the Skumstortion and the Body Rot 2 i na side by side comparison, so here it is:

We've got a couple of B stock versions of these 2 bad boys ready to go for immediate shipping... You can hear how much ass they kick, don't miss out on these killer prices. We WILL be raising the price of the Body Rot II to $199 at the end of the summer, so grab em now and save $60!

Bodt Rot II "B" Stock $129

Skumstortion "B" Stock $109

Skumstortion "B" Stock $109

P.E. Delay+ and the Optic Tremor Demo Video

Dennis M — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:45:00 GMT

Video of the P.E. Delay+ in use with the Optic Tremor tremolo... The Optic Tremor is FINALLY ready for release! we've been sitting on it for almost 2 years getting it just right.... I think its there-

Taming High Gain Distortion Noise Part 2

Dennis M — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:39:00 GMT

Last time around we looked at power, and other environmental issues that cause noise when rocking out with high gain distortion pedals... lets take a look at a few things you have more control over...

Cables

Why are you plugging your $1000 guitar into your $1500 amp with a $9 cable?And DO NOT get me started on those $3 patch cables you're using in between each pedal on your board. C'mon guys... your cables are essential to your tone, so skimp someplace else.

Our good friend Mark Stoddard over at Lava Cable chimes in with this angle:

"Noise or microphonics is caused by cable movement or contact as small voltages are generated from this that interrupt the signal path. If the cable does not have the correct amount or type shielding the noise will be greater. Also, the lower in capacitance a cable is, the easier the noise will be heard as more signal is passed. Typically, with static cable such as pedal jumpers noise is not an issue as there’s no movement. It’s important for cable jumpers to be solidly built as a loose solder connection or loose solder-free connection can cause noise when the pedal or cable is moved."

Thisis good info, lets expand on it a bit- pedal jumpers or patch cables actually take some serious abuse if you're a heavy footed pedal user.Every time you're stepping on the switch you're causing that whole unitit shift, unless your using mounting screws to keep your pedals on your board, and that slight shift with each stomp causes your patch cablesto move and flex as well. So each time you engage your boost pedal fora solo, lets say once per song multiplied by 10 songs a set, thats 20stomps... that can add up to some sizable movement over the course ofthe evening, not to mention the movement your cable plugging your axeinto your pedal board is seeing. So you want to be sure that these are well constructed.

The other topic Mark touched on is capacitance. Over at Lava Cables web site they have a great write up on capacitance, and cables in general, I encourage you to check it out.But in a nut shell, capacitance sucks the high end out of your signal.The longer the cable the higher the capacitance, which is why 40 foot cables sound dark and muddy. So, stick to the correct cable length. If you're a bedroom rocker, a couple of 5-8 foot cables is probably all you need. If you're gigging try 12-15 footers, they'll probably do you well for most venues.

Shielding

Do you have any quiet spots in the room you currently play in? Meaning- if you move around in the room do you have spots that are less noisy? If you do that tells us you've got something floating around in the air which might be quieted by shielding your guitars cavities.

Shielding the cavities of your guitar is not all that difficult, it can be time consuming, but not hard; however, the end results can be amazing. What shielding does is it prevents radio frequencies and other 'noise' from entering your pick ups. The shielding doesn't make the 'noise' signals bounce away, it actually absorbs the noise. The conductive material in the cavities attracts the signal and sends it to ground rather than letting it float around your pick ups. There are a lot of different methods to shield your guitar, so do your research. You can probably start and stop here.GuitarNuts has been offering tips and guidance for shielding and pickup re-wiring for years, and they're a great resource. I've rewired more than my fair share of instruments using their diagrams, check them out!

Pedal board config

Heres a real example from a customer that had horrible noise issues with hisBody Rot II. His pedal signal chain was a GE7 EQ to 'scoop' his tone,then running into the Body Rot II, then some reverb and delay. Here is exactly what I told him via Email:

One thing I would recommend right off the bat- put the GE7 at the end of your chain (before your delay or reverb) to sculpt your entire tone. If not at the end, certainly after the BRII. Essentially the BRII will take the boosted signals produced by the GE7 and distort it. Causing noise when there otherwise not be any.

With the tone 'scooped' by the EQ, the highs are boosted, then feeding those boosted highs into the BR2 to further boost and distort, caused hellacious noise. Simply moving the EQ cured his problems.

Another common noise causing problem the fact we use the volume knob on our distortion pedals as a master volume. Yes its handier to use the volume control on your pedal to turn your amp up and down, but its causing more noise than you need to hear. Let the amp do the heavy lifting. Set your pedals volume to the same level on or off (unity gain-ish) and use your amp to give you more volume when you need it, this will clean you up greatly.

The obvious
Do you have any computer monitors in the room- the older big monitors, not a flat panel? If so, you're probably going to get noise.
Any fluorescent lighting in the room, either overhead or on a wall? If so, you're probably going to get noise. Even the new compact fluorescent bulbs that are going to be the only types of bulb we can buy in the near future are noisy. The best cure for both the old monitor noise and the fluorescent light noise is to shield your guitar,but even the best of shielding can't eliminate the noise those sources cause.

One last thought- noise gates are always useful in high gain situation. Sometimes there's just no way around them.

Let me know what I missed.

Dennis

Taming High Gain Distortion Noise Part 1

Dennis M — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 04:03:00 GMT

Noise is a demon that plagues all high gain distortion pedals. It’s a fact of life that there’s just no escape from… or is there?

Before we begin lets take a moment to define the word ‘noise’ as we use it in this article. When we use the word noise we’re referring to the hum & hiss you hear when you are notplaying. The moment you strike a note, the noise is ‘gone’, but in reality it is simply overcome by the note having been played. The note is passing trough the distortion circuit and being amplified in the same way the noise is, but being that the note is intentional and, as such, a much louder source than whatever is causing the noise in the first place. As the struck note decays the noise slowly becomes more apparent until it overcomes the decaying note, as the noise never left, it was simply overpowered by the note.

Why are distortion pedals noisy?

Many distortion pedals use cascading gain stages to create their sound. While this creates some great distorted tones, each gain stage also amplifies all background noise.

Not all distortion pedals use this design, but the long and short of it is that a distortion pedal will amplify and distort any signal it is fed;even if you can not hear the noise causing signal source before activating the pedal.

What could be causing the noise?

Many times, the noise accentuated by distortion pedals can be tracked to environmental issues. This iswhy professional recording studios are so expensive to design and construct. Painstaking measures are taken to ensure that every power source is pristine, ever power line is shielded and kept far from physical audio paths, all of the walls are shielded against stray radio frequencies, and so on.

That being said; let’s take a quick look at what might be causing your noise and a few things you can do to clean up your signal.

Power

The first thing to look at is how you’re powering the unit. Batteries will deliver a quieter performance, as they are not subject to some of the issues that affect AC power, but they have a downside as well. Batteries will steal your tone as they die, at such a subtle rate, you might not notice until your tone is truly not the same anymore.

AC power eliminates the gradual tone theft caused by dying batteries but they open the door to other noise causing possibilities. AC power directly from the wall is wrought with noise. The power is not delivered in a conditioned or filtered manner which is perfectly acceptable for most worldly applications, but not in the audio realm. If you rely heavily on pedals of any kind to create your tone, we highly recommend investing in a good power supply for them. Here in our shop we use the PA9 power supply from Godlyke, but there are many others on the market.

Another power distribution possibility could be that you have too many pedals on your power supply’s chain. Noise occurs when you overload your power supply’s capacity. The rated output of your powersupply might indicate it can handle 4 or 5 pedals (after doing the math of course), and in fact it can- it just can’t handle it well. That output rate is there to tell you where the failure point would be, not where the optimum operating level is. To keep your pedal board sounding clean stay well under your power supply’s rated output. Some pros suggest you cut the rated output in halve and use that as your load guide. I say use your ears. If you hear degradation, even while within the specs of your power supply, ease back on its load.

Next time we'll dig into cables, your pedal board signal chain, and body cavities.

Be well,

Dennis

Jason Becker Interviewed! Pro Tone Pedals Podcast #12

Dennis M — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 02:34:00 GMT

Here we go, the 1 on 1 follow up conversation with Jason Becker, enjoy.

Show links:
If you dont have ALL of the items below, go get them NOW!

Lets talk business

Dennis M — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:18:00 GMT

This post will not have a thing to do with pedals... or even the art of making music. Lets talk a little bit about business, or maybe not at all... its up to you guys I guess.

Over the course of the last few years I've learned a lot about the music industry, marketing- both on and off line, and business in general... some of it painfully obvious, some of it is some pretty sneaky shit.

So what I'm thinking is I would like to share some of this stuff with you guys. Not everything I would share would be useful to everyone reading these... some of it will be useful to shop owners, some of it will be useful to other boutique hardware companies, but much of it will be useful in a band scenario. Bands are a business, whether you like it or not. The sooner you accept that fact the sooner you might make a dollar playing music.

BUT before I just start typing away at something, I want to know what type of stuff you guys want to read about, what would you find helpful? Do you need to get more traffic to your website in order to sell more merch, do you want to get more people looking at your promo video, how about help with search engine optimization, or are you just looking for a second opinion on a topic you think you've got a grasp of? Fire away... I love helping you guys out, and want to give you guys more than just a self serving promotional machine with this blog.

If you're not comfortable asking for some advice on a topic in an open forum, feel free to email them to me at ask@protonepedals.com

In order to keep the main Pro Tone blog streamlined I'll probably make a new blog dedicated to the business stuff, but again, I need your feedback. If you guys just don't care I wont bother.. but if you're interested leave a comment or shoot me an email.

All the best,

Dennis

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