Selling: Beta Aivin noise gate (SOLD)

Selling away my Beta Aivin NG-100.

Because I'm keeping things simple in the mean time :-)

• Selling: Beta Aivin NG-100 noise gate (box included)
• Condition: 8/10
• Self-collect: CCK mrt station
• Queries/ confirmation: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• No trades/ reservations
• Price is final: $39

Selling: Beta Aivin BM6 portable amp (SOLD)

My office amp is for sale...

In addition to your guitar, it has a mic input- I double it up as a public address unit sometimes.

It also runs on 5 x AA batteries, so plenty of opportunities for you to shred at the beach, he he... Of course, evil stickers would be removed :-)

• Beta Aivin guitar amp, 10W, Adapter/ battery operation (adapter included)
• Condition: 8/10
• Self-collect: CCK mrt stn
• No reservations/ No trades
• Queries/ Confirmation: dark1349@hotmail.com
• Price: $69

Amp SOLD as at 29th May, 1400hrs.

Rest

No, I'm not the one taking a break from guitars (I will play guitar every day even if it's 30sec of noodling before meals) but I'm giving my Noise Gate a rest. I'm removing it from the signal chain to hear my handicap- the inability to control the hands from make unwanted noises while playing/at rest.

Audio clip 2: The value of noise suppression

This is my attempt to let you hear the noise gate in action. There's no fancy playing, just letting you hear how the single coil hum, under lots of distortion application, is subsequently suppressed.

CLICK to listen.

Cort: X-3 (conclusion)

So here they are; my Cort X-3 & Beta Aivin BM6 being best friends in the office. That's right, it's nothing fantastic to behold but some of the best value-for-money equipment I've acquired are seen above.

Office assistant

This is the resident amp at the office (mine, of course); a Beta Aivin BM6. It's a (very) small practice unit with enough appeal to keep us playing, nothing spectacular but it gets the job done. It also accepts an MP3 player link-up, as well as microphone access; that's how much this little thing has to offer.

The BM6 has a 3+1 band EQ section, a chorus & delay control so that we don't get bored too quickly. I employ a straight through plug in but occasionally will give it a drive kick using my (Ibanez) TS7.

Selling: Beta Aivin Super Chorus (CH-100)

Clearing my other chorus pedal, the Beta Aivin CH-100. I won't affirm its emulation of a certain BOSS pedal, suffice to say it gives the user a contemporary chorus voicing, quite the opposite of a vintage unit.

• Condition: 9/10
• Self-collect (meeting place to be disclosed upon confirmation)
• Price: $44 (final)
• E-mail me for confirmation dark1349@hotmail.com
• No trades/ No reservations

Thank you for reading.

EDIT: Pedal SOLD, 17th Feb, 10.40PM.

Light

Last night's session was a light one, in terms of set up that is. Had the above assembly going while sitting & watching TV:

1. LTD ST-203: it's a single coil night, nothing humbucking, please...
2. X-mini speaker: it's the first incarnation & still my fav
3. LINE6 Pocket Pod Express: simplicity as it is
4. Planet Waves Custom Pro cable: grabbed the shortest cable, this was it
5. Canare patch cables: used the version with Cabletek plugs, i ordered a trio of 3-inchers from Beez for pedals connection
6. Alice: 3mm pick, my all time fav
7. Biyang: silent adaptor, a very appropriate application with single coils
8. Beta Aivin: noise gate, another all time fav
9. Ibanez TS7: the most utilized Tubescreamer in my collection

Booster

I was playing my guitar through my Peavey XXL amp & as usual, I tried to attach a soft overdrive to it to increase the sensitivity & aggression (ha!) but unlike my Marshall MG head, this amp isn't one to accept overdrive readily, especially to its non-clean channels. However, I need the extra injection to trigger the noise gate so what better than a clean booster to do the job. I used my Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster as it has voicing variations.

Smash POD gate screamer

I still get much enjoyment over a simple set up as seen above. I also get very inspired listening to tone generated by non-guitar specific drivers, the reason I love the X-mini speaker so much. This had been my set up since Monday (17/1):

• Guitar: SMASH S2 Lite
• LINE6: Pocket POD Express
• Beta Aivin: NS100 Noise Gate
• Ibanez: TS7

Little killer

What you see here:

1. Amp head: Blackheart Killer Ant (1w... ha!)
2. Cab: CRATE 4x12 GT412 (discont'd)
3. Line6: Pocket POD Express
4. Beta Aivin: Noise Gate NG-100
   
5. Ibanez: TS7
6. Guitar: LTD M-53

This has been my practice set up for days. At times, the guitars were on rotation but I keep coming back to the M-53 which had its action further lowered recently. There's a digital effects unit in the chain (the Pocket POD Express) so whichever guitar I employ didn't really matter because the final tone coming out from the drivers, is rather generic. Hence, it's all about feel & precision which my M-53 has plenty.

The Killer Ant churns out only a mere 1W for my sonic assault but it'll bring many other bigger wattage amps to their knees. Thanx to the 4x12 cab which makes it sound bigger than it should be. Contrary to convenient opinion, lower wattage amps need not be restrained in its performance. It's all about knowing what you are dealing with in action.

Shhhh...

I usually do not attach my noise gate between the PPE & Cool Cat overdrive because the background noise generated is not annoying... nevertheless, it's getting to me... so today it's there to preserve lucidity.

Distortion overkill

This is quite a distortion overkill: A Marshall amp in its most blistering channel with drive set to full blast & an overdrive pedal set to maximum effect as well. Adding fuel to the distortion incendiary would be a guitar with an active humbucker; my formula for a face-splitting aural assault.

It's only wise to include a proceedings referee here; my Beta Aivin Noise Gate unit. I played this scorching set up last evening- room door closed & the ceiling light threatening to spill its guts with that excessive rumble. You've heard what they say: Nothing beats an angry Marshall. Well, try beating an angry Marshall on Red Bull...

Had to stop because the spouse was in need of assistance to shower the daughter... there will be a next time anyway.

Beta Aivin: NG-100

This is my new noise reduction pedal, something very affordable by Beta Aivin (NG-100). It works very well to say the least & very easy to use as well. I do own the Carl Martin noise reduction unit but that pedal is only equipped with a threshold control. Yes, that helps a lot for those of us who do not wish to tweak ther noise reduction unit but it's no harm owning a variation of the same thing.

Beta Aivin: NG-100 Noise Gate
Availability: Standard Value
List: $65

Beta Aivin: Bass amps

Mike @ Standard Value made me try the new Beta Aivin amps & here's some take on them:

• control features are responsive
• wide range of tones available; boomy/ crispy; it's all available here
• tilt-back feature is a wise inclusion
• good clarity

List: TBA

The little menace 3

So it's another test for the X-mini Capsule Speaker- can it replace a guitar amplifier?

If you refer to my test set-up here, the X-mini was attached to the output access of the Beta Aivin HM-200 & (to no surprise) it works. However, without a real amplifier acoustics together with the absence of speaker resonance/ overall presence, the X-mini sounds totally mono & rusty. there was also the menacing hum which would be eliminated with a noise reduction pedal no doubt. This is the very reaosn why its attachment to a processing device with amp simulation features yielded better tone- very much better in fact.

PS: The other pedal acting as a booster here is my Toadworks' Mr. Ed.

Cheap & good

I am certainly not trying to propel cheap, obscure brand names to fledglings reading this entry but there are indeed items out there which are affordable and reputable.

The pedals here are my Behringer EQ & Beta Aivin Heavy Metal distortion pedal. The former brand name is rather prominent when it comes to duplicating other established technologies but many cite the manufacturer's plastic housing & fiddly battery latch to be its undoing. My take here is this- if you wish for caviar, be sure to look for sturgeons otherwise be content with cod roe especially if you are shopping with that limited budget. This is no defence for a preferred brand name but Behringer stuff generaly works, people tend to equate its performance with the original item it is duplicating. That's when the endless whining & bashing begins.

Beta Aivin on the other hand is another name in the effects emporium very much ignored for its far eastern origin. Yes, it's not too different from other semi-nameless products out there but it has its refined moments privy to the initiated. The Heavy Metal here gets the idea very much from BOSS' ubuquitous Metal Zone, especially its stacked midrange feature. The pedal sounds great per se because the distortion does not suffer from an implosive ('compressed' to the rest of us) nature at higher level settings. The output we hear is thus a progressive kick rather than sounding choked. A great possession for those on a budget but in preference of plesantries.