Active Band Man Chats - 2023 Edition - Answers Questions About My Near Gear

Well, it's already the end of the year.

It is, isn't it? Thank you for all your help this year! Thank you for all the help you've given us ...... and for being a part of The Captains staff!

You are welcome. I hope you had a good year with the new guitarist and a fresh start. Oh, and thanks again to all the readers of this column.

It's a pleasure to be here! And now that it's the end of the year, I'd like to answer your My New Gear questions.

I see...I think we already did that once in the first half of the year.

Well, well, don't go into details!
Related article “Active Band Man Chats- About the 2023 New Gear Forecast”.

I predict that…


TC ELECTRONIC / Ditto Looper


TECH21 / RK5 FLY RIG V2 Richie Kotzen Signature


DADDARIO / PW-AGLRA-10 CIRCUIT BREAKER INSTRUMENT CABLE 3m


BOSS / CUBE Street II RED


SHURE / BLX14J/SM31 Wireless Headset


EPIPHONE / SG Classic Worn P90 Worn Cherry

... but...

but? So, which of these did you actually buy?

Zero!

Wow! No way... Zero... (laughs)

Zero man! I’m so pathetic…

I wouldn't go so far as to say you’re pathetic. I don't want to say that I'm not worthy, but I don't want to say that I'm trying to answer the question for myself and I have zero answers! I think (laughs)

I'm sorry ...... and I've been asking for a Sure wireless set/headset mic since 2022 ...... pathetic.... ...(T . T)

No, so it's not pathetic... it's just a prediction.

Thanks. But you have a good sense of this forecast, don't you!

Sense?

The choice of what you want!

That's good. That positive thinking (laughs) Prince should be like that.

Right? (laughs) But, you know, there are times when you wonder, “Why did I want this at that time? (laughs)”

Well, you certainly can't deny it…

In this context, I would say that SG is still a bit of a wishy-washy thing. I think I still want a headset mic next year.

It's true that I have been thinking “I want one someday” in a corner of my head for years...but the prince has never blurred or changed, has he?

...who is the prince who never learns?

I didn't go that far ......

New gear this year...I looked at your Sound House purchase history and saw a lot of strings, picks, and other small items.

I wouldn't call that new gear....well, small things are important, but....

Who is the prince of small accessories?

I didn't say that.

That’s a little bit different than what you were shopping for…


Guitar Labs / FRET BUTTER Fret polishing cloth

?

Fret Butter Cloth to make your frets shiny! I want to do it once a year.

I see. I mean, please use it as often as you like, not just once a year. I just bought it.

That's right. When I first saw this, I thought, “Oh, the product name is ‘Fret & Butter’, or ‘Bread & Butter’. I thought!

No, it's not. Fret Butter. Bread & Butter...it's fine.

Okay then…Moving on…


CLASSIC PRO / YPM223

Hmm? Stereo cable? What do you use it for?

Bought this to connect from the headphone out on my mini keyboard to my MTR.

I see. Do you put the keyboard in when you record a demo?

DOYA!

That’s commendable.

It's just like me in that it's not connected via USB, isn't it?

It's very flashy.

Yes! To prevent misplacing or forgetting things!

It's very important to have a unique appearance, isn't it? Because the loading and unloading process can cause anyone to rush.

That's right! Now that I've bought this, I'm planning to renew the board! I want to put in a looper, too!

I need to recover!

I also recommend this one!


PULSE / EC-07 Red Effects pedal case


PULSE / EC-06 Orange

I think that's all for me!

You talked a lot for a guy who gave zero correct answers. But, it's all just small stuff, isn't it? I guess you couldn't afford to do much new gear now that you've resumed live performances?

Hmmm. Is that part of it? Now it’s Horry's turn!

Yes. I guess...


Michael Kelly Guitars / Element 4 Vintage ZEBRA BURST


NUX / Mighty Air


NUX / MLD Bass Preamp + DI

I was...

is ?

As I answered in my first half year questions, I bought the NUX Mighty Air, but the rest didn't come true...

The new gear prediction for this year is 0-1 to Horry's win~! Congrats!

Thank you ...... (lol)

That was very close! It was a good match!

(ignoring K) Michael Kelly Guitars is on my mind, but I still bought a YAMAHA 5-string in the first half of the year. More on that in the first half of the year's answer.
Related article, “Active Band Member Chats - My New Gear for the First Half of 2023”.

That's right.

So, other than that, new gear for the second half of the year... I guess I'll list them in order... BOSS BB-1X, the second preamp for my beloved bass guitar (lol)...

Again? I like it... I mean, is this... modification?

Yes, again. I wasn't really interested in modifications, but ......there seems to be a shortage of this BB-1X and I couldn't find much in stock, so I just happened to buy a modification that I found by chance...(menacing laugh)


BOSS / BB-1X Bass Driver Bass Preamp

It’s not in stock!

I can't really tell the difference compared to the regular one I have... maybe I can tell the difference when I use it for recording...?

You may be right.

This doesn't change things dramatically, but I get the impression that the core is solid just by running this through, and I find it rather useful. I use it with zero drive and almost flat EQ...but I feel comfortable with it. Well, some people say it sounds like BOSS, and I agree with them. I think you should give it a try if you are comfortable with the sound. ......

With bass, you play single notes, so it's important to have a core. I think it's important to keep the core al dente.

(ignoring him) And then...maybe a tuner.

There it is! Horry likes tuners, doesn't he?

No, it's not that I like tuners...it's just that I bought more tuners for each board...and this is Korg's Pitchblack XS.


KORG / Pitchblack XS

What’s this for?

I'm going to leave it on all the time so that I can always check it when I play the EUB. So I chose this one just for its visibility.

I see, just a quick glance.

No, of course it performs as a tuner, right? But here, the size of the display is the main reason (chuckles).

This is stepping on the display part, right?

es, I am a little concerned about that part...but since the purpose is to leave it on, I don't think it matters much. Besides, it's a good space saver since it's a display and foot switch in one unit.

I'm afraid of stepping on the screen. I'm afraid of cracking the screen if it's a smartphone, right?

Yes, but even though it's an integrated type, the edges are solid, so I think the display part is less likely to get dirty. The compactness of this board makes me want to use it for other boards as well... well, this one seems to be in short supply as well...

Horry uses it and it is in short supply.... Memo memo.

I don't think so... (laughs) Then there is HAO's A/B & Para Box. This is for splitting the signal from the bass and sending it to the Pitchblack XS I mentioned earlier. Therefore, it is intended to be used as a para box.

Send to Kakeppa's tuner, and .

I also recommend this one!


One Control / Minimal Series AB BOX

I also bought a ZOOM multi for bass guitar.


ZOOM / B2 FOUR

I was curious about this one too... I saw a lot of bass players around me using it, so I took their opinions into consideration as well. This is a bit off topic, but it's great that you can easily find product reviews on YouTube and the like these days. Soundhouse also has videos of their products.

Yes, that's right! Videos are easy to refer to. I often see Zoom's multitracks at the foot of a van.

I wanted to be lightweight (laugh), so that I only need one of these when I go to the studio. So I create sounds by simulating the sound of the board I am currently using. It's hard to trace perfectly, but I try to get as close to the sound as possible...

How do you like it?

Well...I don't know. I don't know about other recent multis. But, you can operate it intuitively without reading the manual too much. Of course, you need to have some prior knowledge on it. There are 86 kinds of effects in it... As I said before, if a beginner is interested in effects pedals, it would be good to learn various effects pedals and sound creation with this kind of multi. Anyway, they are well made. So, I recommend it and it's readily available (laughs).

This is not a scarce item, and .

Well, I guess we need to be a little creative when using it on a live stage. Switching patches and so on... I'm going to experiment with that from now on. Ah. I also have a lot of instances where I do two stages in one day...I know I sound like a successful musician if I just cut out this part (laughs), but I bought this with the expectation that it would be easier if I could simulate several boards with just this one device. I guess I'll be using it this way from now on.

But Horry is a popular guy, isn't he? Four strings, fretless, EUB, staff, you name it! I'm sure he'll be doing that in the near future. Maybe even a five-string in the future?

Anything...? (laughs) It's just... this is just my personal opinion, but I think ZOOM products are very well made in terms of space, but to be honest, I don't really like their distortion...

Ah, it's a matter of compatibility with the manufacturer's personality, isn't it? But I guess it's possible that it's great on the line, not out of the amp. I'll have to do some research!

So, I may have to set up a separate distortion system when I use it on stage... That will depend on trial and error from now on. If I find a good setup, I may be able to use just this one machine. So, I guess that's all. Here’s my new gear for 2023.

Good enough. That's great.

Oh, wait a minute. Wait a minute. I forgot one more thing.

Here you go! Newest gear?

It's not equipment, it's more smaller items, but it’s a bass case. It's for two basses.


PLAYTECH / EG-Bag DOUBLE

A bass case? No, this is a guitar case. You see, it's called EG.

Oh, I see. Correction. It's a guitar case (laughs), but I use it as a bass case... I use a Bacchus headless and an Ibanez headless, and I bought it to carry both of them at the same time. It's a guitar case, but it totally fits.

Do they fit?!

The construction is solid for the price and the pockets are well stocked and cozy. I'm very satisfied with it. I think it's better to carry them separately if you are traveling by car, but if you are traveling by train... this kind of case is very useful. However, it is very heavy...but that's just because it's two basses....

Good job! Let's have a good competition next year! By the way, new gear makes me happy, doesn't it? Yes, everything is?

Because of love!