The TS9 Tube Screamer is an analog distortion/overdrive unit. Mine was made in Japan, and it has the characteristic green paint, 1/4" input and output jacks, red led light, and ac adaptor input, all in a rugged metal case good for stompin' on.

Its a super simple pedal to operate, just 3 knobs; "drive", "tone", and "level" so its pretty self explanatory. Having a single tone knob rather than seperate "high" and "low" makes it easier to achieve a more "transparent" sound from the TS9 since you can just park it right at 12 o'clock.

In itself, the TS9 only makes one sound, but is good at it. Its not a super hi gain distortion, but will give you a stinging lead tone for soloing and plenty of balanced, sweet sustain depending on what guitar you are using. I play most an Ibanez Ghostrider which is built like a Les Paul with mahogany body / maple top and set neck.
Its not a thick, beefy overdrive, but its not thin or buzzy. Its sort of a sweet, middle of the road, mild distorion, or even just a gentle overdrive if you dial it in low. Its fairly versatile in its range, but its character remains the same through its spectrum from mild overdrive from medium to hi gain distortion.
One thing I like to do with my TS9 is use it as a boost to push a tube amp like my small Epiphone Valve Special into greater breakup.
I also get really cool results by purposely dialing in distorted sounds from the TS9 and then backing off the volume on my guitar to clean it up, like going from the solos in "Black Magic Woman" to the verses which are obviously cleaner, or just to get a clean sound with more sustain than usual.

First off let me just say that I don't consider myself an "advanced" player. I've been playing for about 20 years, I'm self taught so that means it took me longer than usual to learn to play. I'm mainly a strummer and simple picker. Having said that, on with this:
Made in Korea. (Meh, at least it's not made in China) :-)
20 frets, the last fret is accessible by advanced players but anything past the 13th fret I found difficult.
Nice pickup (TKN4 I believe but not 100% sure) with 3 band equalizer, volume control, notch filter control with on/off button, mid contour on/off and EQ on/off buttons.
Standard acoustic guitar neck, just normal stuff here.
All around this guitar feels solid and well made.

Neck does have a nice feel. Top frets are accessible. I like the shape, it's a great guitar for strummers especially. The dreadnought body is nice to hug and just pound away on.
This was my second guitar, my first was a Yamaha FG410 acoustic. Compared to my first guitar, this EG530C was a dream to play and MUCH easier on the hand.

It's a bit difficult to play standing up but most acoustics with the large body will be I guess. I do not like that it has a pin for the strap on the body bottom but no second pin. This means you have to "jurry rig" a tie for the left side of the strap at the top of the neck. Not a "really" big deal, but a bit of an annoyance.

One can get a really nice sound out of this guitar in any number of ways; however, one can also get a "not very great" sound too. You just have to play around with the EQ on the guitar and whatever you're plugging it into and you definitely CAN get a very nice sound from this baby. Anyone saying different is just being a bit unfair and lazy in my humble opinion.

I like to play folk/rock so this guitar has always given me the kind of sound I like.
I use this guitar mainly through a PA system at church, unplugged and plugged into my BR-600 digital recording studio. In all these situations, this guitar has been more that satisfactory.

I find the best settings for this guitar through the PA system is bass and treble set slightly above flat and mid range left at flat (or in the middle).
This guitar can sound a bit "tinny" when plugged into recording devices (depending on the device of coarse) but this can easily be overcome by playing with the EQ on the Guitar and with control/effects from recording device. This guitar sounds amazing through chorus pedals/effects by the way.

I've heard people complain about the sound of this guitar unplugged but I think it's because they just didn't age it properly. My guitar has a nice sound, a little bright on the high strings but overall a very nice sounding guitar. I let it stand in front of my TV and stereo when not in use, always have. This allows the wood to age and pick up all the tones while it's aging. If you only play country chords on a guitar, eventually, rock chords will not sound as sweet as the country chords. So, in my opinion, the best way to age a guitar is to let it "feel" and "absorb" all the tones possible, even when not playing it.

This is not a drum stool.

Its a THRONE.

This piece of gear is WHY its not called a drum stool- about an inch to an inch and a half of padding is enough for even the heftiest of hitters. The double braced tripod design is amazingly sturdy and the nitro adjustability is amazing.

Just one touch on the pneumatic lever and up you glide (or down for that matter) to your preferred seat height. There has never been a more adjustable and ergonomic throne.

The bicycle seat with the raised ridge in the back is very comfortable- but the 'bottle nose' in the front can stick up in a most uncomfortable way for some males sitting close to the front of the seat. (I personally performed a 'nose-ectomy on mine by pulling back the fabric and foam and cutting off part of the supporting material, then stitching it back together).

My only other gripe about this throne is its slightly ineffective compactability. The seat detaches from its tripod base via two nuts at the base of the seat, which both require a wrench for tightening and loosening. If you're not the kind who usually breaks down your throne this is not a problem, but if you're like me and have to break EVERYTHING down than this can cause a slight problem- although if you're a conga or bongo player the same hex wrench that you need to turn your lugs will fit the nuts on the Roc'n'Soc).

Another way of neutralizing this otherwise annoying point is to always carry around a wrench in your gig bag. Because my wrench kept falling out of my gig bag however, I eventually just made a holder out of two straps of backpack strap that I screwed into the supportive material on the bottom of the seat that hold my wrench nicely so that break down and set up are a snap.

This is easily the most comfortable and ergonomic drum throne I have ever sat on. Match that with unparalleled adjustability and, despite minor overcomable gripes, this is easily the best throne on the market.

This pedal is amazingly versatile. Although it has gained a reputation for being a 'hard rockers pedal,' the sheer adjustability of this instrument makes it applicable to almost any musical situation.

I personally have been playing this pedal for about 3 years now in situations ranging from acoustic jazz gigs (Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson style piano trio- played mostly in extremely volume sensitive restaurant style situations) to louder fusion settings, to private party top 40 gigs (HIGHLY amplified and requiring maximum volume), and I can say without a doubt that this pedal has functioned beautifully in each situation.

I have to hand it to the Tama people for developing such an adaptable piece of hardware. The bass drum beater can be adjusted to rest farther back from the drum (for louder situations) or closer to the drum (for softer, more acoustic situations). This is easily achieved in seconds with the custom drum tool securely mounted to the side of the pedal. If all of this shifting of the beater has risen your foot board of your pedal to your navel, not to worry- the foot board is independently adjustable from the beater angle, so you come out with the perfect pedal feel every time.


One thing I do not like about this pedal, however, is that the heel plate is raised about a half inch from the ground (as opposed to tapering down to be flush with the floor). This part of the design obviously betrays this pedal as being designed for playing with the heel up, as it leads to some problems when playing with the heel down. The edge is set at a sharp angle, so when played with the shoes off the edge can press into the flesh of the heel of the foot in an uncomfortable manner (when the foot is shifted towards the back of the pedal). Conversely, playing with shoes can cause a problem because the heel of the shoe can slip off the back edge of the pedal while playing and can be frustratingly difficult (sometimes) to return to its original position.

This is a truly amazing cymbal. I've been playing this cymbal for about 4 years now and absolutely love it. This cymbal has a low and dark cushion while maintaining a bright and defined stick attack- not only perfect or ideal, but quintessential for small group jazz ensemble playing. This is a very 'ringy' cymbal and can be very hard to play, but when played effectively gives the aura of the great jazz drummers of an era gone by- mine sounds remarkably similar to the ride cymbal Tony Williams used on the 60's Miles Davis Quintet recordings (Miles Smiles, Sorcerer, etc.).

One of my favorite aspects of this cymbal is that it is unlike most any other ride cymbal I have ever played in that it is very thin (unlike say a K or A Zildjian). This gives it the ability to really be played into and gives it a very warm supportive cushion of sound.

Because of this cymbals propensity to 'wash out' and it is a very difficult cymbal to control- but in the hands of a true jazz musician it has an authentic sound few can match. One can actually play different levels of the cymbals cushion simultaneously- giving the illusion that you are playing more than one instrument.

I would in no way recommend this cymbal for rock, but could see it fitting nicely in some R&B settings.

When struck with the shank of the stick this cymbal gives a very different characteristic than when struck with the bead of the stick. Likewise since the cymbal is hand hammered there are many inconsistencies that lend to slightly different sounds in different places on the cymbal that one can exploit in many different musical situations.

The bell on this cymbal is not as clear as on most ride cymbals I was used to, but gives a smoky and more focused version of the fundamental sound of the cymbal.

These cymbals are expensive, but there is no substituting that classic jazz sound. This cymbal is a much better match (in my opinion) to that sound than even the new Zildjian K Constantinoples.

I have owned this set for about four years and I can say without a doubt that this is one of the best drum sets ever made. If you're looking for a fat, huge sound, the Yamaha Maple Customs are the way to go.

First big plus- the snare drum. When tuned just right this drum gets that disgusting snap reminiscent of Sting era Vinnie Colaiuta. This may be due to the 7ply x 7mm. Construction- versus most 6ply x 6mm. Shells.

The Bass drum sound is extremely fat. It features a 10 ply 10mm. Maple shells. This is really amazing when you compare it to the industry standard of 7ply 7mm. Shells. At 10x10mm. The maple custom comes up with 100mm of shell versus everyone else's 49mm (7x7mm.) shells- You're literally getting just over twice as much drum. All this makes for a seriously unbelievable sound but brings these drums only true drawback- they're freakin heavy! If you're looking for a set to throw around town this is not it- a 22 inch bass drum in a hard case will pretty much kill your back as I can attest to. (If you've got to case them up and throw them around- for the bass get a hard case with no foam padding and a soft case. Put the drum in the soft case to throw around town and then put the soft case in the hard case for tours and such).

One thing I'd like to say about these drums is that they sound very different from the 'Maple Custom Absolutes.' I have a friend with the same drums in the 'Absolute' series and they don't resonate as well. The biggest difference is the snare drum- I even borrowed his for a week to see if I could get the same sound as my snare drum and I just couldn't get it. His drum was a little darker and just didn't have the same synergistic pop through the whole drum that I get with the 'Male Custom' snare (14x5.5). Its not a HUGE difference, but in my opinion if you're going to invest in a set of drums at this high end, go all out and get the sound you're looking for, otherwise you'll be left with yet another drum that ALMOST gets the sound you're looking for but not quite.

Another great feature of these drums is that they're REALLY loud. I frequently play these drums behind a very loud, highly amplified, special event party band. I play without micing them and I never have any problem playing over the group.

These drums also retain they're tunings remarkably well (even after I play with the aforementioned group!). I very rarely have to re-tune because my drums pitches have dropped. The snare drum is especially good about this- I almost never have to touch it unless I just want a different sound.

I have a 16x16 floor tom I've converted to a bass drum on this kit to play in jazz situations instead of the 22x16 and it sounds okay. These drums are much better suited (in my opinion) towards getting good rock and roll/funk/r&b sounds and volume level than acoustic jazz situations (piano trio, etc.). Honestly they just ring too long and have too bright a sound. Not a bad jazz set- but they really aren't optimum in my opinion.

These drums are expensive, but in my eyes are the TOP of the line, rivaled only by the Yamaha Recording Custom drums, and are well worth every penny.

VHT 50/12.. 50 Class A/AB watt tube combo, Graphic e.q. (bypassable),3 band e.q., Series/parallel effects loop,4 button footswitch.. ready for the stage. 2 channels.. clean and lead. Lots of gain available here. EL34 tubes, 3 12ax7's.. Boost,Edge and Bright switches (for BOTH channels)... literally a TON of tone shaping options and interface. This is a very professional,versatile piece of gear. 2 Eminence P-50 speakers. Tube reverb.
As far as bells and whistles go... I really do not know of anything more someone could ask of an analog tube combo... There are all these modeling combos that do loads of things... but this is the real deal. These are the tones they try to emulate.

Simple. Hmmm.. yes, and no. This is a combo amp... but you really do have a lot of different knobs you will need to turn to get where you want. The controls are extremely interactive.. to the point where you need to be careful in your adjustments, as you might be closer than you think, and over-adjust.. so...be careful!
Manual. Huh. I think it was a sheet of paper. It mentioned a presence control.. which this amp actually does NOT have. Yeah, the manual does not really help.
I give this a "7".. It is pretty complicated for a tube amp. Like I said.. lots of bells and whistles.

Sadly, I don't own this amp anymore.. But it DID suit my style... thinking about getting another one. Yes, I am a doofus regarding equipment. Should have kept it, but got rid of it on a whim. Lots of gain. Nice, barking modded Hiwatt tone.. somewhere between that and a Marshall. Used to run my Keeley TS9 in front of it. Nice searing harmonic ripping, screaming gain. Wow.It does have a real flamethrowing type characteristic when you run a Tubescreamer in front of it. And scoop out the mids on the graphic e.q. NOT a mesa tone.. or what you hear from every band out there on Clear channel radio stations. It is definitely it's own animal. Telling this story is starting to hurt.

The clean tone reminds me of Vox AC30 clean fatness.. not really a "Twin" type tone.. but it may have been the speakers as well... The P50's seemed to really have a mid heavy character to them. Still a very good tone.. very alive and breathy. Class A mode.. does not get squishy. It just seemed to get grainy.. Maybe I should have cranked it louder..
Used this with Les Pauls, Strats.. different guitars. It definitely notes the differences between every guitar.

Using this pickup for 2 years now. I dislike this for cleans.. as it is quite sterile and lacking in personality. It is not bad, per se... it can certainly be clean, but has no quack or other desirable single coil characteristics in clean or distorted mode for that matter.. this pickup seemed to be designed for one thing... to have gain heaped upon it and not get muddy.. even with the signal loaded, trebles up basses up. this can handle extreme amounts of gain. Retains clarity.. and begins to sing as you increase your gain. Very odd philosophy behind this. You totally use your amps gain.. this is very low output. The opposite idea behind say, an EMG 81. The signal hitting the amp is weak.. but this lets you dime your rig without your sound turning to mush. You would need to lower your gain on your amp if using hot pickups as opposed to being able to crank it. I have used lots of pickups.. this has changed my overall approach to my sound. I like using other devices to achieve my gain now.. and use pickups like this and the EJ Custom. Add all the distortion I want and no slop. Just a detailed warm sound with lots of heat. I can get metal sounds... but with character. Becomes more fluid/flutey as you add more gain.
I think this is an insane value for the price. If you can't get a great heavy sound out of this.. get rid of your amp. Or maybe get a guitar that is not made of concrete. Get a wooden one.
I will always have a guitar with this pickup in it. I give it a "9" because I need it for my tone. It allows me to achieve heavy heavy sounds.. but not at the expense of detail.