DeltaLab SC1 Stereo Chorus

The DeltaLab SC1 Stereo Chorus is a solidly built, true-bypass stereo chorus pedal.  It has three simple controls: Rate, Depth, and Level.  They are all pretty self explanatory.  Rate controls the speed of the chorus  sweep, Depth controls how wide the sweeps are, and Level controls how much chorus you will hear in your signal.  The only other control is the on/off switch, which is very solid and has very positive operation.  The LED flashes in time with the Rate control, which is a nice bonus feature so one has a visual reference on how fast the chorus sweep is.  One quirk that this pedal has is that the second (stereo) output is only active when the effect is active, going dead when in bypass mode.  It isn't a defect, but it is different from other chorus pedals that I have used.  I put it in my effects chain just after my DeltaLab MD1 Metal Distortion.  If set subtly, the SC1 provides a thickening of the distortion and allows for epic harmonics and sustain sounds.  Played clean, the SC1 can provide anything from a deep, light sweep to a speedy warble that really has mostly novelty use.  It falls in the middle as far as how powerful the effect is when compared to others that I have used.  Not too much and not too little.  And the price is right.  I paid only $44 for mine.  Highly recommended for jazz, thickening distortion, and shimmering clean sounds.

Ukon Wacka - Korpiklaani

Korpiklaani is a Finnish folk metal band that I just love.  Their music is high energy, fun, and always technically proficient.  Their 2011 offering Ukon Wacka is entirely in Finnish, unlike many of their other albums that include English songs as well.  It is a spectacular album from beginning to end.  Korpiklaani (which means "forest clan" in Finnish) have several videos on YouTube that are all excellent.  Most come from different albums.  Recommended are "Tequila" from Ukon Wacka, "Vodka" from Karkelo, and "Keep on Galloping" from Korven Kuningas.  Korpiklaani is highly recommended for fans of folk metal, upbeat hard rock, and party music.

Arch Enemy - Anthems of Rebellion

Anthems of Rebellion is the fifth album by Arch Enemy, a Swedish melodic death metal band.  I am a huge fan of melodic death metal as it includes fantastic guitar work, the music is heavy but flowing, and the vocals are very high energy.  My wife, on the other hand, thinks that women shouldn't be able to sing like Angela Gossow (the lead vocalist for Arch Enemy).  This album contains some of my favorite songs to play, including the single, "We Will Rise".  The video is recommended for those who want to check out the band and get a feel for the album.  Highly recommended for fans of melodic death metal, European metal, and awesome female vocalists.

Slipknot - Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses)

This album is a bit of a throwback for me since I haven't listened to Slipknot much recently.  Not a whole lot of fancy guitar work, but a very solid sound and theme for the whole album.  Slipknot was the first band to give Roadrunner Records a platinum album, and although this album was not the first, one can see how well the band is able to coordinate with so many members.  Highly recommended are the videos for "Duality", "Before I Forget", and "Vermillion".  All are available on YouTube.  This album is recommended for fans of Slipknot, melodic vocals, and hard rock.

Eluveitie - Slania

Up next is a folk metal album entitled "Slania" by Eluveitie.  There isn't as much intricate guitar work on this album as there is in many others that I enjoy, but the overall tone and feel of the album is quite to my liking.  The music incorporates many folk instruments and creates a sense of full richness.  Recommended is the video for "Inis Mona".  Like the "From Afar" video from the last review, it gives you a pretty good idea what the album is all about musically.  It is available on YouTube.  Highly recommended for fans of folk metal, unique instruments, and European metal.

Ensiferum - From Afar

I've decided to review a few albums that I have been enjoying recently instead of the usual guitar equipment.  The first album up for review is From Afar by Ensiferum.  It's what they call "heroic metal".  I'm not sure exactly what that means, but the album is epic from beginning to end.  While there is incredible guitar work throughout, my favorites are "Twilight Tavern" and "From Afar".  If you are interested, there is a video for "From Afar" on YouTube.  It gives you a pretty good idea what the album is like.  Big guitar riffs, big vocals, and some elements of folk metal.  Highly recommended for fans of metal, guitar, and general epicness.

A quick guide to guitar setup

Setting up a guitar is pretty easy with the right tools.  The first step I take is to put on new strings and tune the guitar.  Next, you need to check that the curvature of the neck is ok.  It usually is acceptable from the factory, but sometimes a bit of adjustment to the truss rod is needed.  The truss rod is a steel rod that runs the length of the neck on the inside, and the amount of tension on it determines how curved the neck will be.  This can be a tricky adjustment as you need to get the height of the strings right (along with the bridge height).  Proper truss rod adjustment is how you prevent strings from buzzing on frets.  Once the neck is adjusted, you should be able to fret any note along the neck with no buzz and the strings should not be too high off the fretboard.  The next step is to set up the intonation of the guitar.  This means that plucking an open string should produce a tone exactly one octave lower than a fretted note at the 12th fret.  This adjustment is usually made at the bridge with a small screwdriver.  It's pretty easy.  Just hook up the guitar to a tuner and check to see if the octave is correct at the 12th fret and adjust as needed.  This is a common adjustment that may need to be made when changing string gauges or brands.  Finally, retune, make sure that the pickups are at a proper height and you are ready to play!

Setting up a tremolo is significantly more difficult and can be quite a pain.  The tension of the springs holding the tremolo needs to be set so that the bridge floats if it is supposed to float (like a Floyd Rose bridge), or the tension needs to be sufficient to hold the bridge down against the tension of the strings.  Floating tremolos are set up by tuning the guitar, adjusting the springs, and retuning the guitar.  It can be very time consuming.  Standard tremolos are much more simple as you just have to make sure that the springs have enough tension to hold the bridge down, then retune the guitar.  Simple!