Sister Vagabond Album Review (Candye Kane feat. Laura Chavez)

Good day!

Candy Kane’s Superhero was one of my favorite albums of last year, so I was really looking forward to her next album. She released Sister Vagabond this summer, and I was not the least bit disappointed as this is the best blues album I have heard this year.

You will notice that this is Candye Kane featuring Laura Chavez, and with good reason. Laura plays killer blues guitar, and has also collaborated with Candye to co-write 9 of the 13 songs for Sister Vagabond. The rest of the basic line-up includes veteran bassist Kennan Shaw, and rock-solid drummer Paul Fasulo.

The album kicks off with a strong opener, “I Love to Love You” from Johnny “Guitar” Watson. This song is a perfect example of what Chavez brings musically to the band. Her guitar playing has true feeling and emotion, and she is able to play well off Candye’s strong vocals. A+ material here, folks, and a wise choice for a first track.

The other cover tune is Brenda Lee’s “Sweet Nothin’s”. Brenda Lee has big shoes to fill, but Ms. Kane does the song well, and it ends up being a lot more interesting (and raw and bluesy) than the original. I wonder if Brenda has heard it.

There are also two original tunes that have not been previously released. One is “Down with the Blues”, which was written by her late friend Steve White. This is a gorgeous acoustic number that is one of my favorite songs on Sister Vagabond. The other is “Everybody’s Gonna Love Somebody Tonight” which was written by Glenn Frey and Jack Tempchin. Yes, the same Glen Frey from the Eagles who is still married to a girl I went to high school with. Small world. Oh, and a rocking song with some James Harman harmonica, by the way.

Of course, the majority of the Sister Vagabond is the Kane/Chavez material, and is stylistically diverse (within the constraints of blues, of course). They have figured out how to write enjoyable songs and Candye and Laura have the chops to perform whatever they can write.

They have put together very tight harmonies in “You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore” and there is a super tasty hook in the closer, “I Deserve Love”. And “Love Insurance” “Have a Nice Day and “Side Dish” are all catchy and listenable tracks.

But my favorite song on the album has to be “Walkin’, Talkin’ Haunted House”. It has great (and seemingly personal) lyrics, but what brings this one home for me is the combination of Candye’s voice (at its best) and the clever craftsmanship of Chavez’s guitar parts and solo breaks. This one is a keeper.

Taking the album as a whole, it is one of the few new releases out there that I can sit and listen to the whole thing without being distracted by songs that songs that do not fit in, or simply are not good.

I heartily recommend that you buy a copy of Sister Vagabond for $9.99 on iTunes. If you are not a blues fan, it would also make a great Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanza gift for your true blues-loving friends.

Mahalo!

Boss TU-12EX Tuner Review

Howdy!

I am sure that you all read Rex and The Bass every day and are still agog over my legendary review of Boss TU-12H tuner. Perhaps you wake up every day waiting for me to review its new brother, the Boss TU-12EX. Well, you wildest dreams are about to come true.

Boss introduced the TU-12 back in the 1980s, and it was the first and most popular of the new breed of reasonably-priced compact automatic tuners. There have been continuous updates and improvements over the years, and the TU-12EX has finally taken care of my biggest dislikes of the TU tuners, and has given me motivation to retire my trusty TU-12H.

The TU-12EX is still a little plastic box, although it is now a more fashionable black and gray, and it is thinner than before. This will make it easier to fit into gig bag pockets and hard case guitar cubbies.

The input and output jacks are still on the right side of the case, along with an AC adapter port. It is nice that “INPUT” and “OUTPUT” are identified in easy to read script on the front of the unit, instead impossible to see embossed letters on the side. This was a beef of mine with the TU-12H.

My other big problem with the TU-12H was that I would forget to turn it off, and the battery would die (which happened more often than I would like to admit). The TU-12EX has a battery-saving Auto-off, thank god. By the way, this tuner does not use the expected 9-volt battery; instead it uses two AA batteries. Hmm.

There is still no LCD screen on the TU-12EX, as it uses the traditional (and easy to read) orange-faced needle gauge with the arrow LEDs on either side. It now will beep at you when you are in tune (Accu-Pitch!), which is not something I care for but some folks might like it. You can turn this feature off.

The control switches are different tahn before. The slider switch is gone, having been replaced with a power switch and selections for chromatic/guitar tuning and pitch adjustment switches. They were really easy to figure out, so there was not much of an adjustment period for me.

It is set-up to automatically tune 5-string basses and 7-string guitars, and also has a flat-tuning mode so you can tune in half steps. It has a built-in piezo microphone for tuning acoustic instruments and has an 8 ½ octave range that accurate to 1 cent.

Surprisingly, Boss also included 5 octaves of reference pitches (in half steps), in case you want to tune by ear. The tuner is adjustable ( A438 to A445) for tuning to another instrument (or Steve Perry) that may not be perfectly in tune.

I have used this one for the past few months and have been very happy with it. It is accurate, and it discerns what string is being tuned very quickly, and does not switch randomly between notes. It is a peach.

The price for the Boss TU-12EX is still reasonable, considering its accuracy and features. It has a list price of $137.50 and a street price of $99.00. If you need a new tuner, you ought to check one out.

Mahalo!

Chauvet 4 Bar LED System Review

Buenos dias, amigos!

After getting together a decent PA system, getting a lighting system can take your DJ gig or band to the next level. Unfortunately, there are oodles of lighting options that can bewilder even the best of us. After a lot of research, I ended up with the Chauvet 4bar system, which is a great choice as an all-in one package that does not cost a fortune.

The 4bar system comes with almost everything you need to get started. This includes 4 lamp assemblies, with a total of 432 10mm LEDs (108 red, 108 blue, 108 green). The lamp assemblies are less than 2 inches thick. LED lighting systems are really the way to go, especially when you compare them to incandescent PAR cans. They last a longer, are lighter, less bulky, more durable, draw less power (0.4 amps!) and run much cooler. There really are not any drawbacks that I can think of.

The lamps come mounted to a pre-wired bar, and each lamp is individually horizontally and vertically adjustable. The 4-foot long bar has the main power input for the system, as well as a microphone for the sound activated feature and a DMX port.

I will discuss DMX in a future blog post, but it a network protocol that allows lots of lights to be attached together and actuated by a single controller. If you are using the 4bar by itself, you do not need to worry about figuring out how DMX works, you can just use the foot controller.

The foot controller has a 30-foot cable that screws into the back of the light bar. It has three switches that allow access to the pre-programmed lights (different color combinations), activates a sound-activated mood that randomly changes the lighting patterns in time with the music (built-in microphone), or can black out the system. Having foot controls is very handy, although in dark environments, you better remember what each switch does.

The lights and bar come is a nice padded case that is about the size of a bass guitar case. The foot controller barely fit in the side pocket. It gives me a lot of peace of mind and makes load in and out much easier.

This Chauvet lighting system also comes with a mounting stand, which is pretty much a PA speaker stand. It has its own carry bag too. The stand adjusts from 56 to 91 inches tall.

All of this comes together very well. I can have the system set up and aimed in less than 5 minutes, which is usually less time than it takes to untangle an extension cord. The whole system is very light and it is a one-man operation to put it together.

The lights are plenty bright, and I have used them for a couple of outdoor shows, and they were able to light up the performers with no problems on a 25-foot wide stage. At parties they really liven things up, and take the festivities to the next level. The sound-activated programs are pretty neat, and party guests always comment about them.

I don’t have any major gripes with the Chauvet 4bar system. The stand that is included in the kit is low-quality, so you need to be careful with it, and for sure do not lose the little plastic block that fits under the set screw. My foot controller had something come loose inside, so it makes a rattling noise, but it still works fine (for now). Also, it would be nice if the cable for the foot controller was a separate part, because it will eventually break. Cables always do, you know…

But these are small things, and they are not altering my plans to pick up another set. It would be a really cool to set them up on both sides of the stage and set up a DMX network.

The Chauvet 4bar system has a list price of $574.99, and a street price of $399. Remember that this includes the lights, mounting bar, stand, foot controller and case, all in a package that comes in under 30 pounds. Throw in an extension cord and you are ready to go!

Mahalo!

Behringer Xenyx 502 Mixer Review

Sugoi!

OK. Behringer equipment has a reputation for poor quality and short lifespan, so you don’t have to tell me about that. But, I needed a really cheap and simple mixer and the Behringer Xenyx 502 has worked out great, and provided a nice surprise too – this thing make a great headphone practice amp.

It is really inexpensive, with a list price of $87.99 and a street price of $39.99. This price point worked well for me because I needed something cheap to use for small parties and situations where I did not want to bring my nice mixer and takes chances by leaving it unattended (spilled drinks and curious children, you know).

The Xenyx 502 can do quite a bit for $40. It has 5 inputs, including and XLR and four ¼-inch jacks. The manual does not say if it has phantom power and there is no switch, but it appears to have it as my condenser mikes work fine with it. There are also RCA inputs in case you want to hook up an iPod or CD player, and this input can be sent to headphone output or the main mix outputs. These outputs include two ¼-inch jacks, a ¼-inch headphone jack and RCA jacks (in case you are doing some recording).

This Behringer unit has a sturdy chassis, and I have managed to not break off any knobs in the year and a half that I have been using it. And that is really saying something, as it has hit the floor hard a few times. You see, the mixer’s small size is no match for the huge in-line power transformer that is on the power cord, which has dragged it off of a few tables.

As far its performance, I am satisfied with this purchase. It provides a quiet signal with no extra hum or buzz, and not much alteration of the source sound. I have not found myself wishing for more knobs or inputs in the situations I’ve used it in. Of course there is only one XLR input, but I knew that going in and I was looking for the cheapest alternative.

The surprise I got is that this mixer works great as a guitar practice amplifier. I can plug in my iPod and guitar, and use the headphone out to listen (in stereo, no less). It is quite a bit more versatile than a lot of the practice amplifiers I’ve tried, and a whole lot cheaper.

There are a few things I do not like. The world’s brightest LED, which makes it hard to see the controls. No power switch, so you have to unplug it to turn it off. And a power supply that is almost as big as the mixer.

Oh yeah, and I do not know what a Xenyx is.

Mahalo!

Shure SM57 Microphones

Hiya!

Today we are going to take a look at the Shure SM57 microphone. It is not really a review, because it is one of the best-selling microphones in the world, and it sales speak for its quality.

The SM57 is a unidirectional low-impedance microphone that was introduced in 1965. It has an XLR connector with balanced output, to minimize unwanted noise and hum and a cardioid pickup pattern so it can isolate the target sound source and without picking up very much background noise. This microphone has a frequency response of 40 Hz to 15kHz, believe it or not.

SM stands for “Studio Microphone”, but I think that most of these are used in live performance situations. SM 57 microphones work very well for picking up drums, guitar amplifiers and wind instruments, but they are often use for vocals too. I mostly use mine for mic-ing guitar and bass amplifier cabinets, and drums on occasion.

They have a well-earned reputation for durability, and I have never seen one break.

If you do not have a Shure SM57, you need to buy one. They have a list price of $146, but you can buy them anywhere on the internet for $99. Be careful if you see a deal that looks too good to be true, as counterfeiters have stated knocking these out too.

Mahalo!

1996 to 1999 Fender Lone Star Stratocaster Guitar Review

Como estas?

A while back I wrote about one of my original issue Fender Lone Star Stratocasters (I’ve had a few), and thought that maybe I should fill in some of the blanks about the history of these guitars.

In 1996 (Fender’s 50th anniversary), Fender issued a handful of special edition Stratocasters with features not found on their American Standard guitars. Among them were the Roadhouse, Big Apple and Lone Star Models.

The Lone Star Stratocaster was an American Standard Stratocaster with an upgraded electronics package that included a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates humbucker at the bride and two Texas Special single coil pickups.

They were available in a light Sunburst or Olympic White with a tortoise shell pickguard, and Black, Candy Apple Red, Shoreline Gold or Teal Green Metallic with a white pearloid guard.

These guitars were only available with tremolo (no hardtails) and sealed chrome tuners. Necks had maple or rosewood fretboards with 22 frets pressed into them.

My only real beef with these guitars is that they have really bulky bodies, quite unlike the profile of the original Stratocasters. By the way, all of the ones I have seen have swimming pool routes in the bodies. Some folks sniff at them, but I do not really think they change the tone that much.

The tone is typical HSS with a pretty good growl from the bridge pickup, and clean highs from the two single coils. So, the Lone Star Stratocasters are very good for rock and blues, but they do not sound like a Stratocaster. A lot of these have been changed into the SSS configuration just for this reason.

In July of 2000, the Lone Star Stratocasters morphed into the American Series Fat Strat Texas Special, with the same pickups and other improvements that the American Standard Series guitars received.

Then, in July of 2003 Fender discontinued the Texas Special and introduced the American Series Stratocaster HSS. They changed the pickups to Fender Tex-Mex single coils and a Fender Diamondback humbucker, and installed S-1 switching.

Finally, in December of 2007, they announced the American Standard Stratocaster HSS, which kept the Tex-Mex and Diamondback, but lost the S-1 switching. They also got the upgrades that the American Standard Stratocasters got, including the rolled fretboards and the heavy bridges with bent saddles.

It should be noted that there is once again a Lone Star Stratocaster in the Fender line-up. This one is made in Mexico and has same pickups and features as the original for a lot less money ($899.99 MSRP) than the American Standard Stratocaster that has a list price of $1569.99. Check one out!

Mahalo!

Ernie Ball MusicMan Blue Dawn Limited Edition Guitars and Basses

Greetings!

Today we are looking at a stunning custom guitar color, the Blue Dawn that was offered by Ernie Ball on their MusicMan guitars and basses. Blue Dawn is a metal-flake sparkly blue burst (or fade, as the hot rod guys call it).

This color was originally introduced in 2001 and was discontinued after a year or two due to lack of demand and difficulties in shooting heavily metallic finishes.

Members of the MusicMan forums complained that they could not get Blue Dawn instruments any more, and it was eventually released again as a limited edition in 2007.

They limited edition instruments came with or without matching headstocks, and were available on most models in their line-up. Of course they did not have Bongo basses back in 2001, but they did in 2007, and Blue Dawn looks spectacular on them.

These instruments all came with 3-layer black pickguards (the ones that came with pickguards, anyway) and chrome hardware, which are tasteful additions to an otherwise aggressive color scheme.

Each 2007 Limited Edition model also had a “2007 LE” inlay at the 12th fret, and shipped in a custom blue G&G hardshell case with a limited edition badge inside.

Other than these differences these instruments were configured the same as the usual MusicMan instruments.

I have owned a few Blue Dawn guitars and basses (2 Sterling basses and an Albert Lee guitar), and they were certainly lookers, with all of the quality workmanship I have come to expect from MusicMan.

Check one out if you get a chance!

Mahalo!