World Music Supply | The Washburn RX12 Series

Hey guys, Brian with World Music Supply here again, bringing you your typical dose of gear and guitar reviews, and today I get to bring you guys a review of a guitars that has just been flying off the shelves here at WMS, the Washburn RX12. The Washburn RX12 comes in two basic formats, the string thru version, which features chrome hardware and a vintage TOM style bridge, or the RX12 is also available in a Floyd Rose equipped version, which features black hardware.

The String Thru Washburn RX12 Electric Guitar

The standard string thru model features Washburn designed humbuckers, a solid basswood body, a bolt on maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard. Although its features sound rather blasé, it actually sounds really good. The humbuckers are surprisingly powerful, on a clean setting I actually really dug the sound of the bridge pickup, as it wasn’t super bright, but it had enough cut to do its job, and the neck pickup was fluty and warm, almost jazzy in the right light. The neck was thin, but not too thin, with enough girth to it to keep the guitar toneful, and to make chording a breeze. Turning up the dirt this guitar really started to sing, with big bold tones that sustained for days, with plenty of midrange cut and bite to it.

The plus of having a string thru body is that the added mass attached at the strings anchor point increases not only the sustain, but also the harmonic content of the strings as they are connected to a much more solid, stable base. This means that the RX12 not only has sustain for days, but when you crank up the volume, and turn up the distortion, this guitar has a very rich complex sound, which lends itself to everything from classic rock chording, to modern soloing. The String thru version is also available in a lot more colors than the Floyd Rose model, as it comes in black, white, red, and sunburst all of which are very classy, and attractive.

The Floyd Rose Equipped Washburn RX12FRMB

The Floyd Rose model, the RX12FR on the other hand is available in only one color at the moment , Metallic Black, which I lovingly keep calling “bowling ball black” as it has tiny, star like flecks of reflective material in it, which reminds me of a bowling ball far more than say, a motor cycle paint job, which I find attractive. I honestly love this guitar, its simple, its straight forward, and it sounds great. Now granted I might be biased, because as of a week ago, I actually bought and own one of these bad boys. The floating trem is perfect for any kind of hard rock styling, from Steve Vai style warble, Satriani screams, Dimebag dive bombs, to anything you can dream up. The sound of this guitar is a tad different as there is less mass to the guitar, and the bridge is made of different densities of steel, and has more moving parts than the string thru variant. That isn’t to say that it doesn’t sound amazing, because it does!

Clean, this guitar still has that same fluty, clear tone as the string thru version, but with a broader, more even sound. The sustain is surprisingly good, I say surprising as I suspected it would be less so. What with all the extra moving parts and less mass in the overall design, but the sustain was at least comparable to the string thru version. The harmonic content was different however, where as the string thru guitar sounded fuller, this guitar sounded much more focused, with a sound that seems more suited to lead playing, where the string thru seems more suited to rhythm work, as the Floyd Rose guitar seems to leap out of the mix and the string thru seems to sit in the mix far better.

A Myriad of Washburn RX12 Electric Guitars

What ever your need, and what ever your style there is an RX12 for you, and they have never been as affordable as they are right now. Their design is simple, and attractive, their sound is complex and dynamic, and their price is unbelievable. For all of these reasons, I have to give the RX12 series a deserved 10 out of 10.

World Music Supply | Washburn Woodline Acoustics

Brian from World Music Supply here again, bringing you your usual dose of gear and guitar reviews, and today I got the chance to test out some more acoustics from our friends over at Washburn. The guitars in question are the WG026SCE, and the WD015SCE, these guitars are unique within the Washburn family in that they both feature unique super thin open pore, and open grain finishes. These thin finishes allow the guitars sound board to vibrate far more freely, as there is less weight and material across the soundboard holding it still. This means the guitars both sound livelier, and far more resonant than their gloss finished counterparts.

The Washburn WG026SCE Grand Auditorium Acoustic Electric Guitar

First up to bat in today’s review is the WG026SCE, which is part of Washburns woodline series, and is available in an electric acoustic cutaway (the version being tested today) as well as a non cutaway, and non electric non cutaway version. The combination of the solid cedar top, and the grand auditorium size are just perfect together, as they create a guitar without too much low end boominess, and just enough top end bite to help this guitar really sing out. The thin, open pore finish really does change the way this guitar sounds, which is something I honestly questioned before I actually got my hands on it. You hear claims about thinner finishes making guitars sound worlds better in almost every issue of almost any guitar magazine, and most of the time, it seems like a ton of hog wash, but in the case of this guitar, and likewise with the WD015SCE, I honestly believe it.

The reason I say that it usually seems like hogwash, is because it just seems like one of those magic guitarist things, you know the ones where a guitarist is asked how they get their magical tone and they lists everything from their hand ground titanium tremolo bar, to the tuning keys that were designed and built by some aerospace company in Switzerland. The honest to goodness fact is, that guitarist will probably have their “magical” tone plugged into almost any decent amp, with any decent guitar. Thin finishes on electric guitars do contribute a bit to the overall tone of the guitar, and they contribute to it aging in interesting ways, as the finish and the paint in certain areas will wear through much sooner than a guitar that is just coated in the stuff, but the over all tone of the guitar will still be there, just a little more muted. This thin approach does have a much more dramatic effect when it comes to acoustic guitars however, as suddenly the guitar just comes to life so to speak. Any satin finished acoustic I’ve ever played just had that big, worn in sound, like a guitar that had seen a hundred shows, with big bold bottom end, sweet singing highs, and a sustain that just rings and rings.

The action on this guitar was just fantastic, and playing quick lines on it was simple and comfortable, as the mahogany neck is smooth, easy to play, and not too big, but not too small. The WG026SCE sounds great plugged in too, as the Isys+ preamp translates the electric voice of this acoustic amazingly well, nearly perfectly replicating the natural voice of the instrument. Overall the WG026SCE is one amazing instrument, with a unique finish that helps it sonically stand out from the pack, that combined with its easy playing neck, and sweet electrified tone, earns this guitar a solid 10 out of 10.

The Washburn WD015SCE Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar

Next up is the WD015SCE, which is a limited edition version of the WD15SCE. This guitar also features a unique thin finish, along with its open grain spruce top this guitar has a very distinct sound to it. The WD015SCE has a lot of booming low end, and a lot of crisp, bell like high end, with a tiny bit of glassy midrange kick that helps it project out through a band a little bit better. This guitar has a much different sound than the WD026SCE however, far different than a typical cedar guitar and spruce guitar usually differ, which I think is impart to the lack of heavy lacquer making them sound similar, as these two guitar are like night and day.

The neck is just as fast and sleek as the WD026SCE, with a similarly shaped, and as such similarly comfortable neck profile that is just not too thick, but not too thin to where you start losing tone either. This guitar is also amazingly loud, and resonant too, with far more sustain than any acoustic guitar should have. The sound is quite warm, with the perfect blend from high to low, which is enhanced more by the Fishman Isys+ electronics. The voice of this guitar through a good P.S system or acoustic guitar amp, is just spectacular, although the lack of weight or dampening finish on the sound board does make this guitar a little more susceptible to feedback than normal, although a sound hole cover solves this problem easily.

At the end of the day though, the WD015SCE is just amazing, with tones that are distinct, without being strange, and visuals that are conservative, without being boring. This all comes together to make one amazing guitar, that easily earns itself a 10 out of 10.

World Music Supply | Fender Acoustic Guitars

Hey guys, it’s Brian from World Music Supply here again, to supply you with your usual dose of guitar and gear reviews, and today I have a few cool acoustics from our friends over at Fender. Fender has always been a company that really tries to push the limits of what a guitar really is, and in the past they took this mentality to the rather conservative world of acoustic guitars. Many of these guitars went by rather clever monikers, like the Kingman, the Malibu, and the Newporter. Fender tried to introduce their “reinventing the wheel” style of production which had served them so well in the world of electric guitars, basses and amplifiers, however, in the hyper traditional world of acoustic guitars, their efforts failed for much of the companies history. Guitarists just weren’t comfortable having an acoustic with a bolt on neck, or an intonatable metal bridge on their flat top acoustics.

        For many years, Fender just couldn’t figure out what to do to with their acoustic guitar line to make them more acceptable by the mainstream world of guitar players, and it wasn’t until Fender was bought from CBS by FMIC that the quality of their acoustic guitars improved substantially. Nowadays, the acoustic guitars being produced by fender are some of the best selling, and best sounding in the industry. For today’s review I am going to start with the Fender CD-220SCE which features a solid spruce top, laminate ovangkol back and sides, and a fishman pickup system.

The Fender CD-220SCE Solid Spruce Acoustic Electric Guitar

        The Fender CD-220SCE might seem like a relatively standard acoustic affair, with some relatively standard tones, and some rather typical looks, but while on the surface it looks simple and straight forward, it has so much more depth. The CD-220SCE has a very comfortable neck profile, which is slightly more reminiscent of an electric than a normal acoustic, and the body of the guitar, while being labeled a dreadnought, this guitar feels slightly more slimmed down, and more comfortable than a standard dread. The attached strap button is a nice addition, as surprisingly many acoustic guitars still don’t feature one, and I’ve personally had to install a few on acoustic guitars and am always worried what it will do to the guitars overall value. The inclusion of a strap button makes this guitar extremely comfortable to hold on stage, and the fast playing neck makes it easy to do everything from basic chord work, to lead runs and all the familiar electric guitar style work that acoustic guitars sometimes keep us from executing correctly.

Unplugged this guitar has a very warm tone, with plenty of snap and bite on top. The tone of the CD-220SCE is very modern with lots of bite and chime, the tone is exactly what you would want from a solid spruce guitar, and the ovangkol back and sides add just enough bite to help boost the slightly darker tone of spruce up out of the mix. Plugged in this guitar has a very true acoustic tone, with a nice darker spruce style tone, with enough of that nice piezo sizzle to help really lift your guitar out of the mix. The snappy tone really does a lot for this guitar, and the CD-220SCE is surprisingly resistant to feedback despite the very resonant spruce top.  The CD-220SCE is a nice straight forward acoustic electric, with plenty of modern sound and stage worthy power. For its ability to cover so much ground, at such an affordable price point, the CD-220SCE earns a solid 8 out of 10.

The Fender CD-230 SCE Cedar Top Acoustic Guitar

Next up is the CD-230SCE which is a slight variation on the CD-220SCE in that this version features a solid cedar top and mahogany back and sides. Cedar features a slightly more vintage sound than spruce does, and has a more “worn in” feel to it, and this guitar features the same super comfortable mahogany neck as the CD-220SCE. Unplugged the CD-230SCE certainly features a more worn in sound than the CD-220, with a lot more mid range warmth. This means that the CD-230 sits in a mix in a nice comfortable place, where it sits along side vocals without taking up any of the frequencies of the singers’ voice, and instead just lives around it.

Plugged in this guitar has a similarly powerful sound to the CD-220SCE, but instead of the darker tone of spruce, the 230SCE has the nice, strident midrange focused tone of cedar, which is great when playing with a band, as it avoids the frequency ranges of the lows of the bass, and the highs of the cymbals, allowing the guitar to cut through the mix with ease. The comfortable neck profile is great for playing lead lines, and the added body in the mix that cedar provides definitely helps fill out the sound, and make your acoustic playing really pop. For its more full bodied tone in comparison to the CD-220, but still retaining the comfortable feel and style, the Fender CD-230SCE earns itself a solid 9 out of 10.

World Music Supply | Takamine Guitars

Hey guys, Brian with World Music Supply here again, to bring you your usual dose of guitar and gear reviews, and today I have a great set of acoustic starter packages from our friends at Takamine. as I’ve mentioned in the past,Takamine was founded in 1962 in Sakashita Japan, as a small family business crafting well made acoustic guitars. In all of the years since then, they have kept the tradition of building affordable good quality guitars alive.

More than all of that, the guitars I’m reviewing today are starter kits, meaning they are great first guitars, but more than that these are great guitars to hold on to, great guitars to keep around long after you’ve learned your craft. One of the best pieces of advice I give to people calling in to ask about buying their first guitar is, think about where you’ll be in five years? in ten years? and will this guitar still be what you want? will it still be relevant musically to you? When it comes to guitars like these, that answer is a resounding yes. Beautifully crafted guitars, with good grained spruce tops, and stunningly figured mahogany back and sides, all satin finished for maximum style and comfort. So without further ado, let’s move into the review of the first guitar in the round up.

The Takamine G320-NS

First up is the G320-NS, which is a great sounding spruce and mahogany bodied Dreadnought. The Dreadnought is the typical acoustic guitar shape, having been more or less the standard guitar shape since its inception, when it became one of the biggest guitar shapes of the time, and soon became famous for its big, full bodied tones. The G320-NS carries on this illustrious tradition in stride, with its big full sound, and bright chimey top end. This guitar feels great right out of the box, as its satin finished body and neck make it both comfortable, and a super fast playing neck. Now the G320-NS is marketed in a kit, as a starter guitar, but as someone who has been playing guitar for quite some time now, I can solidly say that the G320-NS would be a great guitar for any collection, as it is loaded with tons of great tones, has a great feeling, and great playing neck, and on top of that, it’s a Takamine which means it’s made by one of the leading guitar manufacturers in the world.

This is by and large the most common style of guitar to learn on, as the Dreadnoughts body isn’t too big, or too small, and more comfortable to get accustomed to, than say a flying V. Not only that, the Dreadnought is by and large the most commonly played, and most commonly recorded guitar style, as almost every artist has recorded at least one or two songs with a Dreadnought. When it comes to learning to play guitar, nothing beats lessons, but these can tend to be expensive, and sometimes not as effective as the student would like, which is why Takamine has included an instruction book that includes a  DVD, CD combo pack full of hands on, lesson material to get you started off on a good note. The kit also comes with a deluxe padded gig bag for the guitar, an electric tuner, and a set of picks. For its ability to get any guitarist started off right, and to just be a great playing guitar to add to your collection the G320-NS gets a solid 10 out of 10.

The Takamine G220-NS

Next up is the G220-NS which is another great guitar starter kit, but instead of a Dreadnought, the G220-NS is one of Takamines signature shapes called a NEX, which is like a mini jumbo but with smaller shoulders. What this means is the G220-NS has a very even, and overall homogenous voice. So you have a guitar that sounds just as bold at the 12^th fret as you do at the 1^st. The NEX is also a very focused sounding guitar shape, with bass that is tight and punchy, and a high end that is snappy without being too sharp.

The G220-NS would also be a great candidate for a first guitar, or just another guitar to add to your collection, as the NEX body shape is a little bit different than your average acoustic, it does have a rather distinct voice that is favored by everyone from jazz guitarists, to country players, to even singer songwriters. The clean and focused tone  of the G220-NS makes for a versatile guitar, while never being overbearing or dense sounding, and just like the G320-NS, this guitar comes with an instructional book with a  DVD CD combo pack, a gig bag, a tuner, and a set of picks.

So even if you’ve played a few other guitars, and you’re just looking for something different, or this is your first guitar and you want to stand out from the crowd a bit. The G220-NS with its cool NEX body shape might be right up your alley, with its smooth, warm tones, and its super fast neck, the G220-NS easily snags itself a 10 out of 10.

World Music Supply | Takamine Guitars

Hey guys it’s Brian here with World Music Supply again, I hope you guys had a fun forth of July, and for our international readers, I hope you all had a great Wednesday. Getting down to business, today I’m here to talk about some fantastic acoustics made by our friends over at Takamine.  Takamine was founded in 1962 in Sakashita Japan, first as a small family business crafting well made acoustic guitars, which were a rarity in Japan at that point in time. By the mid 70’s they were one of the first manufactures of Acoustic-Electric guitars, and were subsequent pioneers in the art of pre-amp and equalizer technologies. Takamine is still revered in the acoustic guitar world, for their fine crafted and reasonably priced guitars.

Today I want to talk to you about two of these instruments, specifically the EG450SMCSB, and the EG540DLX. Both of these are fine acoustic guitars, each with their own specific voices and characters, so without further ado, lets dive right in. First up is the EG450SMCSB, here after simply referred to as the EG450. The EG450 features one of Takamines signature body shapes, the NEX which is sort of like a scaled down jumbo, with similar body woods and construction, but not as petite as say a typical mini-jumbo. The EG450 features flamed maple back and sides and a solid spruce top, as well as Takamines TP-4T pre-amp.

The Takamine EG450SMCSB

I tested the EG450 by itself and then with a band, just to see how it dealt with a more “live” situation. By itself, with no amplification, the EG450 features a very big speaking voice, with plenty of body thanks to its shape and size, and more then enough snap and twang thanks to the maple back and sides. Playing the EG450 finger style was no problem as the strings are spaced out enough that it’s never uncomfortable to play, but they aren’t spaced so far apart that it feels like you’re playing a classical guitar. The design is supposed to lend itself well to singers, as it leaves plenty of room for vocals, which it really does well.  This guitar really does feel like it was tailor made to sing with, because of its deep bass and snappy treble, it leaves a lot of room in the middle for vocals to fill up, without the guitar ever seeming thin, and without the guitar ever overpowering the singer.

Plugging the EG450 into a P.A and playing with my band proved a fun experiment, as the guitar dealt with volume surprisingly well. Anyone who has ever stepped onstage with a standard acoustic guitar knows that it is like walking into a sonic minefield, at any moment the guitar could just erupt into a harmonic frenzy. The EG450 seemed to cope with it far better then most, this I think had a lot to do with its body woods, as maple is a stiffer tone wood, meaning its harder to cause that annoying harmonic feedback. The guitar did get a little squirrelly at higher volumes, but for practice or a smaller gig, it wouldn’t really need a sound-hole cover. The tone through a Acoustic amp, or a P.A. is pretty amazing, it’s got all of the snap and sizzle that you’ve come to expect from piezo equipped acoustics, but thanks to the TP-4T pre-amp the sound still has plenty of body and power even through a moderately expensive amplifier.

Over all the EG450 is a very amazing guitar, and there aren’t many rivals in its particular price bracket. Because it really does sound nice through a P.A, and it would deal with both live and studio situations like a champ, the EG450SMCSB receives a solid 9 out of 10.  

The Takamine EG540DLX

Next in the line up is the EG540DLX which features Sepele back and sides. Sepele has often been branded as “African Mahogany” or some other fun marketing name aimed at people who are attracted to the more traditional tone woods, like big leaf mahogany or the many different species of maple that have found their way into the guitar world. The truth of it is Sepele is a close relative of mahogany, and as the price of traditional big leaf mahogany is sky rocketing, and the public is beginning to be more aware, and more accepting of exotic tone woods in their guitars, Sepele has taken its rightful place next to Koa, Cocobolo and Ovangkol. Thanks to its mahogany like tonal characteristics, the EG540 sounds amazingly like guitars that cost at least twice as much. I tested the EG540 the same way I did the EG450, alone, and then electrified with a band.

By itself the EG540 definitely sounds like a guitar costing at least a grand or so, with a big bold bottom end, sweet singing midrange, and a nice treble zing that never felt thin or tinny. The EG540 lent itself well to finger style playing as it filled the tonal spectrum amazingly well, with plenty of body and structure to its sound, strummed it sounded harmonically complex and dense, which is a great feeling when you need a guitar that really fills out the areas around a singers voice. With a band the EG540 was suited about as well as the EG450, it did need a sound hole cover slightly sooner then the EG450, as its body is a little more harmonically responsive then its maple bodied cousin. The EG540 features Takamines TK40 pre-amp which features a handy notch filter as well as all the typical features of a pre-amp (tuner, bass, middle and treble, gain control). The inclusion of a notch filter means that the EG540 is a handy feature, but once I had put the sound-hole cover in the guitar didn’t seem to have any more problems.

Amplified the guitar had a nice warm sound, with a fat bottom end, a bite-y mid range, and a nice fizzy high end that never sounded plasticy or metallic. It filled its respective role in the band very well, letting me fill out a lot of frequencies without ever stepping on anyone’s sonic toes, so to speak. I loved that the EG540 can be as cheap as a mid range guitar, sound like a fortune and let me know that I’m playing a guitar that isn’t ruining the planet, so to speak, and its because of this that the EG540DLX receives a deserved 10 out of 10.

So there you have it, two great guitars, both at an amazing price. Both of them are equally at home on stage or in the studio, and each looks and feels like a guitar that costs easily twice as much. So why don’t you hurry and get one while supplies last, right now at Worldmusicsupply.com!

World Music Supply | Smash Pedals

Hey guys, its Brian here with World Music Supply, and today I’m here to talk to you about some of the Smash pedals we carry here at World Music Supply. We went to great lengths and bought out all of Smash pedals entire inventory and now have them all at well below wholesale prices. So don’t let the low price fool you, these pedals can go head to head with pedals costing four or five times as much. We currently offer the Pedal to the Metal distortion, the Sixth Gear Overdrive, the Full Moon Phaser and the WW-100 Wah.

Pedal to the Metal Distortion

first up to bat is the Pedal to the Metal Distortion, if you want a full on gain drenched monster, this pedal has it and at a great price. The pedal is plastic, but it isn’t soft or easily damaged, and I was able to stomp on it again and again without compromising its structural integrity. It has about as much gain on tap as a Boss metal zone, its tone shaping controls are different in that it features just a level, a filter control, and a gain knob, so while it might have the same gain as a Metal Zone, it is voice differently. The Filter control took some getting used to as it works sort of like the tone knob on a tube screamer, but with a larger range from bass to treble, meaning it can get sort of touchy, and it takes a steady hand to really dial in your desired tone, but when you do its worth it. Overall I was pleased with the pedal, it gave out some very saturated tones without ever getting fizzy or tinny, I give the Pedal to the Metal a 9 out of 10, simply because I know some people just don’t trust plastic pedals.

Next up is the Sixth Gear Overdrive.This is the classic pedal overdriver sound in a cheap and

Sixth Gear Overdrive

surprisingly impressive little box. Sounding like a cross between a Digitech Bad Monkey and the classic yellow Boss Overdrive, this pedal honestly did more then I thought it would. Featuring just three controls, level, tone and gain, this pedal may be simplistic, but it certainly does its job. Gain wise, this pedal is nice and balanced, not too much, not too little, just smooth lightly compressed overdrive with just enough sonic teeth to get your leads through even the most cluttered mix. When I used the overdrive in conjunction with a clean-ish tube amp, it gave me the classic sound of a tube amp on the edge, with the added warmth of the tube amp, the pedal sounded just perfect. The Sixth Gear does its job, and does it well, and if you’re looking for an inexpensive new addition to your pedal board I highly recommend the Sixth Gear. I personally give it a 10, its just too good of a deal not to love this pedal, even if it is made of plastic.

Full Moon Phaser

Now its time for the Full Moon Phaser, which I found to be an unexpectedly amazing pedal. It wasn’t too over the top sonically, and did everything a phaser should do, from quick Leslie style swirls; to slow Van Halen approved sweeps, to crazy sci-fi movie ray gun sounds. It features three knobs, Rate Resonance and Depth which means it has two more knobs then I am used to having on a phaser, so this pedal is certainly versatile. I typically don’t use phasers for much, but with this little guy on my board I didn’t turn it off, I just moved around the controls, with three knobs there is a setting for every situation, from the dirtiest distortion tones, to the cleanest cleans, this pedal added just the right amount of movement to my playing to keep it sounding fresh and interesting. While I know most people are happy having a phaser with only one knob, the versatility afforded by having three was certainly something I could get used to. The Full Moon Phaser easily gets a 9 out of 10, because its definitely a lot more then most people need, but like they always say, its better to have too much, then to have too little.

WW-100 Wah

Last on the list is the WW-100 Wah, a personal favorite of mine, why you ask? Simple, because every guitarist has a wah on their board, and every guitarist is always looking for a way to sound just a little bit different then the next, what better way to do this, then just switching out the wah. I found the WW-100 to sound a lot quack-ier then your average Dunlop but not as much as your average Vox, meaning if you want to sound a little different this might just be the wah for you. The throw felt comfortable, not stiff, but not loose, and even though its made of plastic I never once found it to feel fragile or easily damaged, it always felt sturdy and stoic, just like a wah should. It held a lot of classic funky sounds, with the wah never sounding too dark or too bright, and even though it’s the most expensive smash pedal we carry, at such a low price its still one of the cheapest, if not the cheapest wahs we carry at World Music Supply.

Over all I know a lot of people will have their doubts about buying a bunch of plastic pedals, but these are great sounding pedals, plastic aside, and at the end of the day, you buy pedals to make you sound better, and it doesn’t matter to the listener if the gear you’re playing through cost you 100 dollars, or 100,000 dollars, as long as you sound good. So why don’t you give these pedals a chance, and snatch up one of these gems up while we still have them at these great prices, just head on over to Worldmusicsupply.com, and pick up one of these awesome pedals today!