GEN 3

There's a mixed reception when it comes to the new Katana GEN 3 amps. Those who already liked the previous iterations will continue to love this version while skeptics continue to question the minor addition in features. Whatever the case may be, I'm of the opinion that the amp per se is a good sounding amp with enough on board features to exclude additional pedals while in use. This is of course based on my experiences with the previous iterations. These amps are now available at Swee Lee less the head version you see here. 

A quick demo by Alex Hutchings to hear the amp's potential which may / may not be your thing. In any case, it gives you an idea of the amp's clean / driven applications.

Pic: BOSS

Friday night Hutchings

That's right, folks, Alex Hutchings was here last night conducting a BOSS clinic at Swee Lee's Bt Timah showroom. I've talked to countless players throughout the years & they swear by their BOSS pedals but the enthusiasm wasn't manifested last night as there were less than 30 attendees listening to some captivating guitar works from Mr. Hutchings himself.

This isn't Mr. Hutching's debut clinic in this country, some of you might recall he was here a few years ago (Here: CLICK) with his other Waghorn guitar. I was expecting an 8-string but let's be objective- it's a purposeful event & some tools are more apt for the cause than others.

Some of us keep our effects line-up simple, others depend on a gamut of pedals to deliver some order (hey, some of us are preforming pros & we live by this). The former camp will find this clinic unimpressive because Alex Hutchings had a rather excessive display of effects at his behest. At the end of it all, it's about showcasing the effects & not much of anything else, save for the educational aspects of guitar playing from time to time. What you would've heard last night was a very processed guitar output which you need to embrace in order for some appreciation to happen. I'm from the former camp, I live by an angry amp & not much else but keeping an open mind means acknowledging Alex Hutching's tone was some of the best I've heard in a live context. All those processing led to an increase in pick sensitivity & that's something I could relate to. Also, there wasn't much extraneous noise to be heard & it was a lesson in noise management for those of us keen in this manifestation of tone.

What I like about product clinics is the very fact that it's educational while being entertaining. Alex Hutchings took time to explain why he used some of the pedals seen above & it could be summed up to being objective. There was very little discussion about drive/distortion & he kept it simple with a distortion & drive each. The rest of the implements there were time-based & modulation units & that brought us to another aspect of guitar playing that isn't addressed much- nuance. Delays & reverb type processes served to add depth to our tone & this is important in a performing & recording context. The other pedals that were of service were volume, expression & wah units. Also making an impact here was a switching unit which allowed Mr. Hutchings to re-order his line-up without re-arranging his pedals physically.

The second half of the clinic saw the synth aspects of guitar playing being put into context. This was the reason why the SY-300 & GT-100 made their appearances there. This focus wasn't the bulk of the clinic time but it should open up some perspectives for those of us interested in music as opposed to being guitar-inclined exclusively. All in all, it was a thoroughly informative engagement, thank you Swee Lee & BOSS for a great Friday night.

Understand 8

Let's begin March by acknowledging the fact that the 8-string guitar -like any other guitars with whatever number of strings in there- are artist tools. Due to its use by artists with extreme inclinations, the 8-string guitar is conveniently tagged as the metal musician's affable extension. Well, not according to this clip; Alex Hutchings & in awesome Waghorn custom 8-string simply kills.

2012: Hits and misses (5)

HIT: Alex Hutchings was here for a captivating performance. His set-up would question your need to embrace costly tube tones as 'good tones' per se could be achieved in so many ways, this way shouldn't be overlooked.

MISS: Portnoy/ Sheehan/ Sherinian/ MacAlpine's performance here clashed with Phil X's. It's not about the quality of the prformance, mind you, just the rotten fact of coincidence. Yes, it's unavoidable to a certain extent but this could have been better planned.

Alex Hutchings clinic (Ep 4)

Mr. Hutchings shared with us the importance of playing posture. Once again, many of us tend to emulate our idols when it comes to instrument placement, we strap our instruments very low, I've seen guys going below waist level- Slash/ Hetfield, ring any bells?

The over-riding consideration here is to place it where your fretting & picking hands are the most relaxed as this would supplement movements. We make mistakes while playing because we tend to cramp-up our hands & this has everything to do with the playing posture.

The botom line is not to strap your guitars way up there either, it should be where you are most comfortable. Chances are, if you have to strain yourselves just to reach that note, your playing posture could have been better.

Alex Hutchings clinic (Ep 3)

There were some Fenders on the performance platform during Alex Hutching' clinic & the only reason they were there was because they feature Roland's synth pickups in them. I was glad he picked those guitars up & played them so it's proof of musicianship, not about certain guitar brands being 'better'.

Alex Hutchings clinic (Ep 2)

The aural assault dished out by Alex Hutchings were all from his trio of floor effects (L-R):

• RC-300
• GR-55
• GT-100

The good part of his performance was amp-free, all devices were hooked up directly to the PA system. It sounded good & it underscored the fact that we could achieve great tones in so many ways. But what do we hear from people out there? 'Nothing beats a tube amp tone', well if in your world there exists nothing else but tube amps, this statement would be conclusive but not in this world.

Alex Hutchings clinic (Ep 1)

Alex Hutchings was here for a Roland clinic yeterday (16-9-12). He's an incredible player, nothing short of talent & a big proponent of feel so every now & then we'd get to see him do some facial expressions in relation to what he plays. This pic is one such moment just before he finished his track. 

I picked up some key pointers in terms of equipment & playing philosophy. Somethng that still sticks in my mind is the fact that he has a set of .008s in his guitar. Is this being trendy? Of course not, it's strictly supplementing his light touches; he's that kinda player who doesn't pick too hard because it'll only deteriorate his tone & feel. Many of us fell into the thicker strings = better tone trap too often because we are either just starting out & listen too much to what others have to say or we try to emulate our idols & replicate their set up. We need to be bold & assess our needs more than anything else.