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Eventide H9 Max/Core

I’ve owned a few modulation pedals over the years, and most guitarists can say the same. I had the fortune of owning an old MIJ Boss CE-2 that I bought for $30 back in high school with one of my first paychecks (it was subsequently stolen by one of my cousins), owned a couple of old Ross Phase R1 pedals, a Ross Phaser/Distortion pedal, some EHX Small Stones, a Line 6 MM-4 Modulation Modeler, and more that you can find on the Pedals of the Past page.

Even when I had the MM-4, the only effects I made any real use of was tremolo and phaser.

What is Modulation?

Perhaps you’ve stumbled onto this page and you’re not sure what modulation is. Most people wouldn’t have the foggiest place to start for most of them. It, like so many terms in the guitar world, is not exactly all that clear. Let’s provide some examples of the frequent kinds of modulation.

    • Chorus: The opening to Nirvana’s “Come As You Are”
    • Phaser: The opening to Live’s “Lightning Crashes”
    • Tremolo: The main guitar to REM’s “Crush With Eyeliner”
    • Flanger: The opening to Van Halen’s “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love”
    • Rotary: The high, clean notes on Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun”

But the H9 is far from just a modulation pedal. Far, far from it.

Why Did I Choose It?

When I sold off my TC Electronic Nova System and started rebuilding a pedal board, my attention turned towards obtaining a tremolo, phaser, delay, and pedal. I called up and spoke with my Sweetwater rep, Nich, and started talking about my plan. That’s when he suggested the Eventide H9 Max and reasoned that I was about to finance at least $400 if not $500, so it made sense to pay $200 more to get the Max and have access to a flangers, rotary effects, octaves, choruses, and pretty much every other kind of effect.

I remembered Eventide once being the flavor of the month when it came to “high end” pedals with their TimeFactor, ModFactor, and PitchFactor pedals. The H9 had all of those algorithms on it along with their Space pedal and settings specific to the H9. For a few hundred more, I could get an H9 Core, tie it to the same account, and the H9 Max would unlock every algorithm on the Core. I’d have two monster pedals that could cover pretty much everything I could imagine.

I pulled the trigger. For a while, my main board had two H9 pedals on it. You can plug it up to a computer via USB cable and manipulate all of the settings or do so via bluetooth using an iPad. I had ultimate control, could program effects to match specific BPMs, and would never need another delay, reverb, or modulation pedal. You can even find presets to download onto them to mimic classic pedals.

Here’s a demo from Andy, then of ProGuitarShop.com’s YouTube channel. Yeah, this guy will make you spend some money.

Why Did I Get Rid of It?

As I played around with the effects, I realized three things:

    • There were a lot of settings that I’d simply never use
    • I do not have the patience to tweak the effects. I strongly prefer pedals with a few knobs that are clear regarding what they do
    • the pitch shifting effects left a bit to be desired. If you look at the picture of the recording board, I own an EHX POG 2 because, in my opinion, the tracking on the H9 left a lot to be desired.

What’s tracking? It’s how well system creates the shifted notes. The POG 2 can handle multiple notes played at a time while the H9 cannot.

The H9 Max has some really cool, powerful delay and reverb presets. While I’ve been able to tweak those, I’d turn to my TC Electronic Nova Delay because of how easy it is to tweak and understand what the controls do.

In the end, I used the H9 for modulation. While I came close to using it numerous times only to fall, I’d fall back into the comfort zone of my other pedals and wouldn’t use it. I did use a recreation of the Boss PH-1 pedal for the opening to Cold the Winter’s “Spin”, but that was it. That was A LOT of money to use one effect once.

Would I Suggest It?

You might be curious if the H9 is worth it. Pete Thorn, a well-known gigging guitarist, used to use two of them and I believe still has one on his board. The H9 is a versatile pedal that puts numerous pedals that you’d probably never use at once into a neat and tidy package right at your feet. It’s incredibly easy to fine tune the controls via the PC or iPad app and tweak to your hearts content, but you have to know what you’re doing.

You’d easy spend more then $700 buying the different modulation, delay, and reverb effects in order to get the same level of versatility you get in the H9. Even pedals like the TC Electronic Hall of Fame and Flashback that have numerous settings don’t get the depth that the H9 does. Heck, last I checked, 3rd party company puts out a product called an EvenMIDI that connects via MIDI and allows you to tweak the controls using regular ol’ knobs instead of the digital PC or tablet interface.

As for me? No, I personally wouldn’t suggest it unless you’re someone who loves to tweak settings to your heart’s content. I actually sold my H9 Max to JD, so I do have easy enough access to it. He loved tweaking that thing to coax different sounds out of it. I might not be the happiest with how the mix turned out on Low-Fi, Nice Try’s Waiting Drove Us Mad, but the lead guitar tone on “Doing It Right” came from the H9 and I love the heck out of it.

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Remixing the first 7 songs from Volumes One and Tw Remixing the first 7 songs from Volumes One and Two is coming along. 

Some songs sound better after the first attempt, some require a tweak or two, and others require whole new parts be recorded. 

I still need to re-record “Octivation”, “Lost It All In Factory”, and “Let’s Get Behind Them” for different reasons. 

I’ve learned a lot between the beginning of this whole process and now, and you can hear the difference in the originals vs. the remix. 

Want access to listen to the remixes? DM me and let’s talk about it. I’d love to talk about the process and hear your feedback.
During the 9/13 @pearljam show, we were treated to During the 9/13 @pearljam show, we were treated to Eddie Vedder dressed up as a mirrorball and a story behind the jacket and helmet for “Wishlist”. I recorded very little during the show, but him spinning around was too good to pass up. I tried to catch it on the big screen but only caught a moment of it.
I worked out two separate trades on Sunday that in I worked out two separate trades on Sunday that involved a #strat as part of the deal. Funny thing is that the #stratocaster is not my favorite type of guitar to play, but both were interesting. This doubled the number of strats I have.

1) The red #Fender is made up of parts from Fender guitars, but I do not believe that any parts are from the same guitar. 

• The body is refinished matte red with some roadworn-ish type relicing, which is just gold underneath...maybe the original color?

• Fender Vintage Noiseless pickups with a Clapton mid-boost mod. It sounds really good. 

• Neck is from a 2013 MIM Floyd Rose Fender. It's a really nice, comfortable neck. 

• Thick solid steel block. It has excellent sustain

If I keep this one, it will get some Fender Locking Tuners

2) The black one is a #Squier Affinity Strat, but it's not a normal Affinity. It's a 1997 model, the first year they offered the Affinity line and it's a full-sized, hardwood (likely Alder) body with a 22-fret rosewood neck. It's a pretty nice neck, especially for a Squier. 

It's hefty for a strat too...it's not light like so many of the Squier Affinity line. Having that full-sized body adds some weight. 

The pickups leave a bit to be desired, which is par for the course with the Affinity line, but this guitar would make a great modding platform for someone interested in doing so. 

Heck, if that red one hadn't come through and I didn't already have two other nice strats (both Squiers, interestingly), I'd likely look to make some modifications.

----

In the end, I will take time to consider whether I like the red partscaster or my Squier Classic Vibe '60s strat more. Whichever one wins gets the Vintage Noiseless. Clapton mod, and stainless steel block (as long as it fits the Squier). 

I have some decisions to make.
New upgrade for KCWM music purposes. Next recordin New upgrade for KCWM music purposes. Next recordings will feature this 2004 Dr. Z Maz 18 Jr. 

#NAD #newampday #drz #maz18 #guitar #guitaramps
Back in '95, my grandmother bought my first real e Back in '95, my grandmother bought my first real electric guitar from a pawn shop in the small town I grew up in. I think we paid $85 for it with a hard case. 

I played that guitar a lot, its pictured with me in the Jazz Band photo from my junior year (covered in a ton of stickers...so classy), and I recorded songs with it. 

When the electronics started to die, I wasn't as knowledgeable in what could be repaired and I junked it. I sold the parts and moved on. It wasn't until years later that I realized what I'd given up and I've often priced them, but never pulled the trigger. 

Yesterday (7/19/23), this popped up on Facebook Marketplace from a local shop. At first, I thought it was interesting and didn't intend on buying it, but after giving it some thought, I went and did just that. 

This was a bit of a nostalgic purchase. If I named my guitars, this one would be called Dot or Syb (short for Sybil), after my grandmother.

This Squier Contemporary Strat (27-6800) was made from '84 - '87 in Japan. From the info I've gathered online, it's a 24.75" scale instead of the normal 25.5" Fender Scale. The pickups each have an on/off switch so you can turn all three on at the same time, and the humbucker has an on/off/coil-tap switch. The tuners are Fender-branded Gotoh. 

It has some definite wear and tear, but I don't care. 

You'll definitely be hearing this on some upcoming songs, as I intend for it to split time with the tele I use for lead parts, as I did with the modified Squier '51 it's replacing did. 

Anyone in the DFW area looking for a cool modified Squier '51? 

#guitar #fender #squier #stratocaster #strat #fenderjapan #mij #ssh #rock #kcwmmusic #dmcafreemusic #dmcafreerock #nostalgia
I need to clean up my desk a bit more but I just r I need to clean up my desk a bit more but I just replaced my two 1440p monitors with this 34” ultra wide. I’m able to see every track on the mixer of Studio One 5 and so much of Superior Drummer 3. It’s so awesome.
Ignore the number of takes it took me to get secti Ignore the number of takes it took me to get sections of power chords done, but that KOT in the track names represents a @munnymanpedals Knock Out Tone I recently acquired. Paired it with my (maybe) 70s Session Les Paul copy for a great tone for a rhythm track. The track without it is a dry signal to my Mesa Express 5:25. 

I just uploaded a new song for release and the one pictured should be coming in the next two weeks. That will make 3 of the 14 songs I hope to write and release for 2023.

You can give the new track a listen at https://on.soundcloud.com/WYiEr and hear that KOT in the left channel during the choruses, bridge, and ending.

#munnymanpedals #rock #dmcafreemusic #guitar #guitarpedals #supporlocal #dfwpedalmakers #homerecording
Here’s a close up of the pickups in my 1992 Fend Here’s a close up of the pickups in my 1992 Fender Telecaster. 

I used to have a set of GFS Power Rock pickups, but I felt like the output started to wane on the neck pickup. 

I’ve been fascinated with mini humbuckers after talking about putting them in my PRS SC245 Ted McCarty. After learning that the p90s in that guitar are Seymour Duncan’s, I opted to install a Seymour Duncan Antiquity II in this one. 

It’s a good mix of more oomph than a single but not quite the same as a full-sized humbucker. 

The bridge pickup remains a GFS Power Rock, and the one I use for most of my lead work. GFS pickups may be hit or miss, but these have been a home run from day one. 

Lastly we have the Fishman VT Powerbridge. This piezo pickup adds such a great tonal option into the mix. I often roll the volume of that pickup down to half to mix in a bit of brightness to the mini hum. I’ve used this to supplement my acoustic guitar on tracks.
You can see the discoloration between the 1st and You can see the discoloration between the 1st and 7th frets where I most often play this guitar. It’s the one I’ve owned the longest. @bigjohnsguitars set up and refrettedthis #telecaster in 2010. It’s required a tweak or two here and there, but it’s been the slightest of tweaks. The neck, body, and Fishman VT Power Bridge are original, and everything else has been modified. 

It’s my number one and what I do most of my writing on.
I’ve been sharing these videos on TikTok, and I’ve been guilty of getting stuck on the name that’s on the headstock. I now have a handful of “cheap” guitars that I feel are competitive with their more expensive counterparts, especially with a good setup by @bigjohnsguitars 

I sold a 1995 USA Fender Strat and kept this Squier Classic Vibe ‘60s Strat. We put some Texas Specials in it and John wired it up with a 6-way switch. I used this in the left channel of my most recent single, “To Those Who’ve Said Goodbye”, the song that you hear in the background. 

I took a minute to talk about this guitar but could easily talk more about how it plays, how it felt right out of the box, the changes I’ve made and others I want to make, and plenty else. 

#guitar #fender #stratocaster #strat #guitarsofinstagram #kcwm #dmcafreemusic #cheapguitars #squier #squierguitars #bigjohnsguitars
New single, artwork by @cotiecat. Hoping it will b New single, artwork by @cotiecat. Hoping it will be live on Spotify, YouTube, etc by mid-week. 

In light of the recent passings of our resident matriarch, Frau, and Cotie’s Kuwabara crossing the rainbow bridge, i thought it fitting to honor them both, and Chiclet as well. This song is dedicated to their memory, as well as anyone else who’s lost a pet at any point in time. 

This is the first single of 2023 and I hope to release 5-6 more that I’ll collect in the form of an EP in addition to remixing, rearranging, and rereleasing my previous 3 albums and 4 singles into two 14-song albums. 

I have to find balance between music and D&D. That’s my current goal for this year…creative balance.
Started posting videos about my instruments, amps, Started posting videos about my instruments, amps, and pedals I use to record music. I started off with my 1992 Fender Telecaster that’s my go to when it comes to lead parts for almost every song I’ve ever recorded. Hard to say everything I want to about this guitar in a 1 minute video. #guitar #guitarsofinstagram #fender #tele #telecaster #seymourduncan #gfs
Stripped some ghouls, skeletons, and cultists usin Stripped some ghouls, skeletons, and cultists using LA Totally Awesome and redoing them for uniformity using a rough slapchop paint job. 

I love putting color on the tabletop for my #dnd sessions, and have a soft spot for some cultists. 

There are some unpainted buddies there, one of which is my kid’s mini. Focus here is for some minion-esque baddies to sponge up some action economy. 

My players still steamroll my encounters.
Trying out the slapchop painting method for some # Trying out the slapchop painting method for some #tabletopquality orcs to use in a #dnd session. 

The three taller archers are from one of the 4e dnd board games and the others are Reaper minis, though the three squat orcs aren’t my favorites. 

I do wish I’d spent more time choosing colors for them instead of gray fur with gunmetal, but they work for what I need them to do: sit on the table in color rather than white plastic.
@totalpartychill saw your TikTok about the small m @totalpartychill saw your TikTok about the small mat, and while I love the big one, it doesn’t quite fit the normal setup we have. The small one should be perfect. Looking forward to getting it
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