Your year in gear (2017)/What's in store for 2018? Mini reviews please!

  • I had the most ridiculous year in terms of the gear I bought, so much so that I now need to figure out a way to curb my expenses in 2018.


    Here's the hardware I got:
    1) Strandberg Boden 8 Custom Shop - Definitely a keeper. Fabulous build and great sonic character.
    2) Replacement Kemper (traded away the previous one) - I needed one for simple jams and gigs.
    3) Mesa Boogie Mark V:25 - Pint-sized tone machine!
    4) EVH 5150III 50-watt - A great "tiny" amp with a huge sound
    5) Diezel VH4 - A real monster. Not a fan of the cleans, but the high gain channels are awesome
    6) VHT Sig:X - I love this amp. Covers so much ground and sounds good at almost any setting. Cleans to die for.
    7) TC Electronic Mimiq - An interesting pedal if you're running a dual amp setup, I didn't much care for it in the FX loop of either a digital processor or an amp.
    8) Damage Control Glass Nexus - Oh man, a dead simple pedal with great sounds. It's like an analog multi-FX in some ways.
    9) Damage Control Demonizer - Great as a backup, but I wouldn't want it as my main tone engine.
    10) JHS Electronics Buffered Splitter - Works as advertised. Splits and buffers your signal
    11) EHX HOG2 - This is a crazy pedal. The synth stuff is nice and it also works really well as an octave pedal. Midi controllable too.
    12) Zoom B3 - A decent bass processor on a budget.
    13) ISP Decimator G String - It's okay.
    14) ISP Decimator - Ditto
    15) Pedal Train Terra42 - Too big and the bag really sucks. I would not buy a board like this again, especially when there are no options for a replacement bag. The zipper on mine is already coming apart.
    16) Waldorf Blofeld - A real fun mini-synth. This one can handle 16 channels of midi input, so you can really go crazy with it.
    17) Rivera Silent Sister Iso Cabinet - I find myself using this more with the top off nowadays during the day time, and even created a profile using it (search for ZHT Teutonic Xmas on the Kemper Rig Exchange). Not too shabby, but you really need to have a way to deal with the resonance of the cab, even with the lid off. Would I buy again? Probably not.
    18) Suhr Reactive Load x 2 - Great reactive load box. Have a lot of fun with them, and they interact really well with the guitar and amp.
    19) Universal Audio Apollo Quad with Octo Satellite - Just got these as a Christmas present to myself. Had to after my RME Fireface 800 died. It works real well, very low latency and extremely nice preamps with the option of modelling real analog hardware through unique plugin modelling and adjustable impedance.
    20) Fender HM Strat (Traded away) - Man, if I run into some money, I'll buy this back. But looks like the guy isn't selling.
    21) Ibanez RG2228 Prestige (Traded away) - Great guitar, but I didn't need two eight strings. I think.
    22) Gretsch Renown 5-piece kit with hardware - Beautiful drumkit, very professional sound. Hardware I got thrown in was nice too.


    In terms of software, just:
    1) Some UAD plugins - I liked the free ones, thought I would buy a few more while their annual sale was on.
    2) Izotope Ozone 8 and Neutron 8 - A nice package of plugins. EQs, compressors, limiters, spacial treatment, etc
    3) Sonarworks Reference 4 - This was definitely the best purchase of the year imo. It lifted a blanket from my speakers after years of struggling with mixes and tones. I will be leaning on it heavily in 2018.


    What I want in 2018:
    I have nothing on my 2018 list, I need to keep it that way

  • VHT/Fryette Deliverance 120W : Awesome single channel amp, very good low volume tones too which was a surprise. Not so dry sounding as I was told to believe.
    Hesu 1x12 "Wizard" : 150 euros shipped (unloaded), a no brainer cab. Quality is on par with VHT/Mesa etc, 12mm birch ply and immaculate tolex finish. The price is absolutely ridiculous, I seriously think they're selling these at cost/loss to make the brand more widely known.


    What I want for 2018 (but will never get) :D


    Trident 88, 24 ch., Toft ATB-32 or D&B Orion. And rent a real studio space which I found near me. We'll see.

  • Bought:


    Gibson SJ200 - Best acoustic I've played, hands down. Works perfectly for my style of playing and it sounds huge.
    Gibson Les Paul 1958 RI - It was a search of years, but I found the Les Paul for me. It's far from perfectly finished, but it plays like a dream and it sounds amazing.


    2018 will probably include a guitar or 2 and my custom Mayones bass should come in too.

  • I was in search for a great dry/wet/dry rig and just couldn't find it. Sold it all for the KPA and to get through three months of living in Vancouver while recovering.

    Bought & Sold:


    Cabs:
    1969 Marshall G12H-30 vintage cab - Kinda regret selling it :pinch:
    Hughes and kettner 4x12
    Mesa Stilleto 4x12
    Marshall White BX w/greenies 4x12
    Mesa Oversized straight 4x12
    2X 1960A Marshalls with GT-75's


    Heads:
    Randy Rhoades 100w Superlead - Selling this hurt! :pinch:
    2x Mesa dual Rectifiers
    Marshall YJM 100 - Selling this hurt a bit less!
    1988 Fender Champ
    Traynor Bloc 50G
    1990 Fender Twin Reverb
    1988 JCM800 50w - Morello's head


    Guitars:
    1931 Gibson L00 - Selling this hurt more!!! :cursing:
    1982 Japan Tele - This hurt too but less 8|


    Pedals:
    Castledine Supravibe - His builds are amazing, couldn't justify use vs cash spent.
    Analogman KOT - Great pedal but prefer the Klon.
    Strymon Timeline, mobius, flint - Don't need em' anymore, all great though.
    Dbx 266 - Better compressors in UA.
    1973 EHX Big Muff - Earth shattering lol... I will miss it! Couldn't justify a $1400 pedal after six months or so. :thumbup:
    At least 40 more pedals - I built two sweet boards but the KPA took care of it for the most part.
    Rivera Rockcrusher Recording and just a Rockcrusher - No use for them anymore, great units but I'd go Freyette next time.



    Bought & Kept:
    Kemper powered toaster but bought back a unpowered rack both w/footswitches - Crazy to sell ITFP - best purchase!
    1999 Martin w/ k&k pure mini & Boss ge-7 - Used to have a 1970 D-28 triple back but this'll do too lol.
    Built a custom Gilmour black strat - Killer build and tone.
    Broke the headstock off my 2008 Goldtop - fixed lol - loaded it with EMG 81-85's (sounds better than ever) whew!
    Apollo 8Duo w/ quad satellite and various plugs - Killer interface, very happy with it.
    Pro tools 12 with expansions & ilok3 - Much better than I thought?
    2x Yamaha DXR 10's with stands - So far, so good!
    EHX Holy Grail Plus - Got it cheap - for spring reverb.
    Jerry Cantrell "Alice" wah - Best wah for high gain IMHO.
    Analogman BC109c fuzz - Gilmour fuzz, brighter than germanium but raunchy.
    Gator Rack - 10 space for the KPA etc...
    SM7B & Cloudlifter-Z - Awesome sounding combo
    2002 Mahoganey Godin w/ p-90's - Traded a couple mics for it, sweet!
    Fender Deluxe Reverb reissue - Always wanted one, glad I have it. Removing the bright cap today.



    Years not done. But seriously, pretty content on my rig now. My wife is just shaking hear head - laughing "kinda" :whistling:


    2018 will be a much more boring year for gear I presume and a much healthier year I hope lol. :thumbup: