Listen Up: Wishbone Ash - Live Dates II [Japanese limited edition CD]

After a 25-year wait, one of my all-time favorite albums is finally out on CD.  Of course the record company (MCA) wouldn’t make the obvious decision and release it where the band’s largest fan base resides:  the U.S or the U.K.   That would be far too logical.  Instead, U.S. fans like me have to buy an expensive import from Europe or Japan.  I ended up purchasing the Japanese limited edition SHM mini LP sleeve version from Amazon that cost an arm and a leg [over $50].  

I first bought this album on vinyl in 1980 – luckily for me it was the limited edition which contained a second bonus LP of live cuts.  But for some reason this classic live album of ‘70s twin guitar heroics never made it to CD.  Who knows why?  I thought maybe it was some legal issue or the original master tapes were lost or damaged.  All I know is generations of Wishbone Ash CDs and remasters and reissues came and went while “Live Dates II” stayed on the shelf.  Until now.

The Japanese release comes in a mini paper sleeve so it looks just like the original LP set, only smaller.  The first Wishbone Ash live album “Live Dates” sounded like it was recorded in a bucket or under water to my ears, but “Live Dates II” made up for that with its crystal clear sound.  The Japanese reissue is no disappointment and sounds fantastic.  The original engineer cleverly panned the two guitarists left (Andy Powell) and right (Laurie Wisefield)  so you can easily follow who’s doing what.

If you are a fan of ‘70s rock then this really is an essential CD [even though it was released in 1980].  There are so many highlights:

•    The great instrumental break in the opening track “Doctor” at the 3 minute mark
•    Andy Powell's soulful, lyrical solos on “Living Proof”
•    The 9+ minute instrumental called “F.U.B.B.” – a creeping, brooding tune that builds up steam for 6 and half glorious minutes before the two guitarists cut loose.
•    The 10 minute “Way of the World” with its  superb closing section
•    Powell's soaring, emotion-drenched solo on “Persephone” 

While the two guitar players get the spotlight, Martin Turner (bass, vocals) and Steve Upton (drums) provide a great foundation.  While no great singer, I really like Turner's vocal style and on this Japanese reissue, his bass is super clear which highlights his melodic lines.

If I have one criticism of this double album, it’s that the second disc runs out of steam and ends rather quietly.  There were many other great tunes the band was playing at the time like the zippy instrumental “Outward Bound”, “You See Red”, “Lifeline” and the traditional encore “Bad Weather Blues” and those should have been included.  In fact, we don’t get the 2+ minutes of cheering crowd and obligatory encore on “Live Dates II” and I think that’s a mistake because the album doesn’t quite recreate the concert experience like so many of the better ‘70s live albums.

Even so, this still stands as a classic live album and the one-two punch of “F.U.B.B.” and “Way of the World” – originally side 2 of the first LP – represents one of the greatest “sides” in ‘70s guitar history.  At over $50, this is a very expensive collector’s item, but it’s worth every penny.

Track listing

Disc One
1 Doctor
2 Living Proof
3 Runaway
4 Helpless
5 F.U.B.B.
6 The Way of The World

Disc Two

1 Lorelei
2 Persephone
3 You Rescue Me
4 Time Was
5 Goodbye Baby Hello Friend
6 No Easy Road

Vintage Stereo: Harman Kardon 430 Receiver

I’ve just added another vintage receiver to the collection – this time it’s a 1976-77 Harman Kardon 430.  I really like the look of this receiver with its timeless, simple and elegant design.  The challenge with these receivers, now that they are 35+ years old, is finding one in good condition because that large strip of plastic across the front is easily scratched.
 
I’ve been wanting one of these Harman Kardon x30 receivers for a while [ideally the 730] and I saw a 430 come up for sale locally on Craigslist for $150.  I thought that was too expensive and not surprisingly, no one bought it at that price and the seller relisted it a couple of weeks later at $100.  I offered $75 and we settled on $85 once I saw it.  It is in excellent condition with just a minor ding on the left front bezel and the tiniest scratch on the glass.  All lights work and inside it is super clean so I knew this was a good unit. 

After a DeoxIT to cure the scratchy controls I fired it up through my Klipsch KG4 speakers.  The guys on the Klipsch Forum are all crazy for the x30 Harman Kardon receivers and their tube-like sound, especially some of the low wattage units and I must say, it sounds excellent driving the KG4s.

The first thing I noticed is how loud this receiver is.  While it is only 25 watts per channel, it sounds much louder than that and I barely get the volume control past 10 o’clock.  This characteristic is probably due to the receiver’s unique “dual mono” design, which leverages two transformers and two fairly large capacitors per channel.

To my ears, this really makes a difference in sound quality compared to other ‘70s silver faced receivers. In addition to more volume you get great clarity and detail.  With the dual power supplies the receiver does not need to break a sweat to deliver sweet sounds.  Treble is crisp and clean and bass is deep and controlled.  However, the thing that really got my attention was how fast and rhythmic this receiver is.  Many of my other vintage receivers sound plodding in comparison. Very impressive.  It sounds great through headphones and the phono stage is also very good, although not quite up to the standards of my Marantz 2245.

This is definitely a keeper and is what buying vintage stereo is all about – fantastic build quality, great looks and superb sound, all for under $100. 

HK430 Stereo Receiver (25 watts x 2)

FIRST MANUFACTURED: 1976
LAST MANUFACTURED: 1977
SPECIFICATIONS: Tuner Section
Capture Ratio : 2.5dB
Image Rejection : 60dB
Spurious Response Rejection : 50dB
Alternate Channel Selectivity : 60dB
Total Harmonic Distortion : MONO - 0.6%STEREO - 0.7%
Amplifier Section
Power Output : 25 watts RMS/ch, both driven into 8 ohms 20Hz - 20kHz,w/Power Bandwidth : 10Hz - 40kHZ at Frequency Response : 20Hz - 20kHz +/-0.5dB4Hz - 140kHz, -3dB
Rise Time : SQUARE WAVE - Square Wave Tilt : Total Harmonic Distortion : Intermodulation Distortion : Hum and Noise : Better than 65dB below rated output
Damping Factor : 40

Pedalboards of the Stars: Scott Henderson

Scott Henderson is one of my favorite players and he has always had a killer tone in my opinion – especially live and with the awesome Tribal Tech.  And some of his tastiest tones I've heard were on some live recordings of his stint with the Zawinul Syndicate in the late 80s.

Here’s a look at a fairly recent board from the Henderson, Jeff Berlin and Dennis Chambers tour [still waiting for East Coast dates guys!]

• RC Booster – this has apparently been modified to the “Scott Henderson Signature Model” specs
• Maxon Sonic Distortion SD9
• Fulltone Octafuzz
• Zvex – Fuzz Factory
• Arion Stereo Chorus SCH-1 [with true bypass mod]
• Tech 21 Midi Mouse
• Vox Wah
• Boss volume pedal

Pedalboards of the Stars: Robben Ford

Robben Ford is one of my favorite guitar players and a tone monster. Here's a look at a recent pedalboard [from December 2010]. In the past he has just used volume, wah and the Zendrive, but his board seems to be expanding. It now includes:

• Ernie Ball volume pedal
• Vox Wah [may be modified]
• Korg Pitchblack tuner
• Hermida Audio Zendrive overdrive
• Arion Chorus SCH-1 [with true bypass mod] - same as Landau and Henderson have used
• Line 6 DL4 Delay
• G-Lab Reverb
• Buffer [to maintain signal strength]

Of course, it really helps your tone when you plug this into a $35,000 Dumble amp although Robben sometimes uses Fender Blackface amps with great results.

With so many of my favorite players using the Arion Chorus I may have have to pick one up - again - and re-evaluate my decision to sell the one I had. That's been replaced with the Analogman Chorus, but I am wondering now if I made a mistake. Although at the time it didn't knock me out as a chorus pedal - but most people use it just for the rotating Leslie simulation. That aspect of the pedal was really nice and certainly a cheaper option than the DLS RotoSim that's on my shopping list.

The other pedal Robben has that interests me is the Zendrive. I could not be happier with my Timmy, but I see the Zendrive on a lot of boards and that says something about its quality.

RAZL: Rotonova - Intergalactic dirty guitar grooves for earthling weirdos

I've really been enjoying the debut album [released in 2008] by Spanish guitarist Razl called "Rotonova."

Razl has a couple of things going for him that set him apart from the crowd. First, he does not use a pick so solos are finger picked and chords often plucked, which gives him a different approach than most players. Second, I really like his guitar sound and pedal choices. He plays mostly with a clean tone and spices it up with rotating Leslie simulations and tremolo to great effect. Even though he reminds me a little of John Scofield and Oz Noy [and some of the tracks echo the jazz-funk of the Brecker Brothers minus the horns], he definitely has his own voice which is refreshing in this day and age of "me-too" players. The bass player and drummer lay down some frantic funky grooves on "Rotonova", which provide the perfect backdrop for Razl to build some very tasteful solos.

A foundation for Razl's sounds and approach is the H&K Rotosphere. I have been wanting a DLS RotoSim for months to get a similar rotating Leslie simulation. And hearing "Rotonova" has really got me thinking about picking one up. Here's a look at Razl's pedalboard:


Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere
Line 6 FM4 (Filter) & DL4 (Delay)
Moogerfooger Ring Modulator
Voodoo Lab Tremolo
Z Vex Distortron
DOD FX17 Wah
Boss TU 2 Tuner
Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 plus
Carl Martin Big John Power Supply

The 2008 CD "Rotonova" is highly recommended if you like funky jazz/fusion. The good news is he has just released a new CD called "Microscopic" which has been added to my shopping list without hesitation.

More info at www.razlplanet.com and CDs at www.abstractlogix.com as well as www.cdbaby.com.

Product Review: MXR Custom Badass '78 Distortion

Does the world really need another distortion pedal? According to MXR, the answer is definitely "Yes!"

The company recently introduced the horribly named Custom Badass '78 Distortion. When I think of 1978 [a little hard to remember, I admit] I think of the distorted tones I was listening to on vinyl at the time: Van Halen "I", Aerosmith "Live Bootleg", Ted Nugent "Double Live Gonzo", AC/DC "Powerage", and The Who "Who Are You". Could this little red box recapture those tones from yesteryear?

The pedal has controls for Output, Tone, and Distortion [gain] plus an extra circuit that you can engage using the Crunch button which is basically a midrange boost that moves the tonality a little closer to a classic Tube Screamer. Build quality looks to be very good.

So how does it sound? Overall, I'd say it is a decent sounding pedal that is somewhat similar to a MXR Distortion+ on steroids or the Boss DS-1, but with more tonal options and higher fidelity. My favorite settings are with the Distortion control below 2 o'clock and with the Crunch circuit engaged. The pedal has a lot of gain on tap and it sounds very full and rich at most settings. In fact, it reminds me a lot of the Danelectro Cool Cat Fuzz in that respect, but to my ears it only makes a passing attempt at capturing the tones I listened to back in '78. IMO those tones were thinner and less compressed than what the Custom Badass '78 Distortion is serving up - although the Crunch circuit does help it sound less dark.

The distortion pedal landscape is full of some really nice choices so MXR is going into a very, very crowded marketplace. However, this is a quality unit at a very competitive price point of only $80. That's a good bang for the buck and with their marketing muscle and mainstream distribution through Guitar Center and Musicians' Friend, they may well ship a lot of units.

The bottom line: This is a pedal worth checking out based on it's tonal flexibility, build quality and attractive price. But if you really wanted '78 tones I would grab a Distortion+ or any of the vintage pedals from that era.