New Pedal Day: Blue

In the farthest reaches of Ebay, I found something I could not live without... more musical equipment.  (Surprise, right?)  I found some really nice pedals that are made with high quality parts, and are pretty inexpensive from Hong Kong.  I think the only reason they are not known or liked in the U.S. is their unfortunate name.  The name of the company is Biyang.  Again, a really bad choice for a name for the U.S. market.

I had been wanting to buy a Boss Blues Driver, but had never gotten around to it.  So I found the Biyang Tonefancier Blue BL-8 pedal on Ebay.  I looked up some reviews of it, and really dug it.  So I found a place in the U.S. that had one, and bought it for $45 off Ebay.

I haven't gotten to play it as much as I would have liked, but so far I like how different it is from my normal set-up.  I normally play British style amps with EL-34 tubes, so I have a lot of mids.  This pedal is more of a Fender (American) crunch with a heavy low end.  This pedal didn't really mesh well with my Laney amp.  However, I have an old solid state Rocktron amp that I bought for like $80 years ago, that this pedal just slays on it. 

This pedal is actually more crunchy than I would like in some cases.  I want just a bit of break-up, and it gets crunchy a little too fast.  The one thing I would recommend is to have your amp set as clean as possible.  That way, it balances out a bit better. 

So it's hard to describe sounds over the internet as everyone seems to hear things very differently.  The best thing I can say is that it sounds like the electric guitar in Jace Everett's "Bad Things," from the True Blood soundtrack.

There are a few things I really like about it.  It is adaptable for pedal-boards as it has the input for a Boss style adaptor, or 9 volt battery.  The casing is also a very durable metal.  It is also true bypass.  I really dig that the guitar cable input and outputs are extremely tight. 

The only thing I think it's missing is the overall "tone" control.  The Blues Driver has one, and I think this pedal could really benefit from it.  But if you want a very simple pedal this is it.  It has level (volume) and drive.  That's it.

To make up for having no tone control, I think this pedal sounds best with very clean vintage style pickups whether they are humbuckers or single coils.  I think filtertron pickups would sound really good through this pedal, but I don't happen to own a Rickenbacker at the moment.   

Biyang also makes other pedals.  I have been wanting a Reverb pedal for years so I bought one of their Stereo Reverb pedals.  I will review it when it gets here in a few days.  I have also been wanting a TubeScreamer clone, and Biyang makes one of those as well.  It's simply called the Overdrive OD-7.  They also make an OD-8 that comes with changeable chips, but that's more than I need.  I will be ordering the OD-7 later on in the week.

I know a few people will be asking, "Well, if you wanted a Blues Driver why not buy one?"  Well, the Biyang is anywhere from 25% - 40% cheaper than the Boss.  It is also made overseas.  They are both made with good parts.  So why pay more?  I have played both, and I like both in different ways.  But overall, I am happy with my purchase. 

So I will post more reviews once the pedals start coming in.

The Wheels On The Cab Go Round And Round

I have to admit, I am getting older.  I just can't lift my musical instrument cabinets like I used to.  So that meant it was time to put some wheels (casters) on them.

First up, is a Laney cabinet I bought a few years back.  I hated the speakers that were in it, so I sold them, and bought Carvin Vintage Series speakers to replace them in the cab.  They are American sounding speakers so I pair them with my Crate Blue Voodoo amp.  It has the American sounding 6L6 tubes in it.

So it was time to put wheels on it.

Since I was using bolts and not screws I had to put the casters closer inside than I would have liked.  I needed to have room around the bolts to put lock washers and nuts. 

Luckily, I was able to get the casters put in appropriate places.  The cabinet is standing upright just fine with the Crate head on it. 

The cabinet is a bit beat up, but it is still very strong.  I also happen to like the handles on it as well.  The project wasn't so hard as it was time consuming.  I had to make sure everything was in the right place.  But at least I can move the cabinet around now much easier.  Really, I should have done this a long time ago. 

That Will Be The Death Of Me, Part 3

Part 1.  http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2014/04/that-will-be-death-of-me.html

Part 2.  http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2015/01/that-will-be-death-of-me-part-2.html

Well it's over.  It seems that I have outlived the palm tree that I was sure that was going to be the end of me.  Of course, I was blamed for killing it, so I have no idea if I was overturning my own prophecy or just not knowing how to trim a tree.

Here is what is left of the palm.

 

Just a mound of nothingness. 

Here's a wide view.

So now comes the question, "What do I do?"  I mean, I have now outlived the tree that was destined to kill me.  I worry that another tree will take it's place, and rise up to avenge it's fore-bearer. 

This is not the time for me to rest on my laurels, but to safeguard against any and all plants that might try to rise up, and strike me down.

That, or I can quit being so damn dramatic. 

STD (Snail Transmitted Disease)

It seems my fish tank got an STD.  That's a Snail Transmitted Disease.  For some odd reason I now have all these tiny snail covering my fish tank.

Okay, they haven't gotten that big yet, but still.  They are everywhere. 

I guess the look on my face when my tank got an STD was the same as anyone's when they got an STD.

Even the gouramis in the tank are like, "Wha?"

Seriously, I have to ask myself the same questions as anyone else does.

1.  Who has my tank been with lately?

2.  How many tanks has my tank been with lately?

3.  When could this have happened?

I had to think on this a bit.  I haven't brought new fish to the house in a long time.  I only get water out of the sink.  (Note:  We have well water, and it goes through a filter and softener.  That way it is clean and the PH is neutral.)

However, I remember that when I was having problems with the PH I used rain water from the barrel outside.  It then occurred to me that there could have been snails in there.  Crap!  This really is my fault. 

Here's what I am dealing with.  Now, they are tiny, so they may be hard to see, and even harder to take pictures of, but they are there in the photos.

So now comes the next part.  Getting rid of the dang things.  Yes, my tank needs a shot, or more correctly, my tank needs a shot of snail killer.  They do sell it in pet stores.  So I'll be off to get some meds, and get rid of my fish tank STD.

50 Miler

Back when I was in the Boy Scouts of America, there was a major patch you could get for well, ... something major.  It was the 50 Miler award.  You had to go 50 miles in one week by foot or afloat.  I earned mine with a combination of canoeing and backpacking 50 miles with my troop over spring break. 

Here's the old version of the patch I earned.

In real life that patch is huge.  It's the biggest patch I own.  And you know, it should be.  It's a hard patch to get. 

So this brings me to this past week.  I have been performing maintenance at an apartment complex in Clearwater.  Mainly, they have me do the things they don't want to do.  That means I deal with a lot of garbage.  They had me walking all over the property picking up liter, and taking care of the trash cans. 

After each day my feet were killing me.  So I got to thinking...  There was one morning when I walked non-stop the first half of the day.  So even if I walked only two miles per hour, I knocked out eight miles just before lunch.  And then I went out and walked some more.  I figured each day I walked between ten and fifteen miles.  So at the end of the working week I easily had walked fifty miles. 

Buy alas, there is no 50 Miler patch for life.  But sometimes I think there should be.  At least in my heart I am glad to know that I was able to walk that much in one week.  Some of the other maintenance men at that complex said they just couldn't do what I did. 

The funny thing?  I might have to do it again this week.

The Tale of a Scout's Uniform

Well for about 24 hours I was in the Boy Scouts of America.  (See previous post.)  When I at BSA Sea Base I was with other Scout Leaders from across the globe.  I talked to a man who was from the Philippines, and had attended one of the World Jamborees.  As I noticed everyone in their Class A uniforms it got me to thinking.  Despite being members of one organization, all of our uniforms are rather personalized.

The one organization I can think of with uniforms such as the Boy Scouts is the U.S. Military.  Except for certain medals and designations of which division members are in, the uniforms are pretty much homogenized.  That's a bit different from the Boy Scouts where the uniform can be customized quite a bit.

Take for example, my uniform.  (Note:  This is my adult uniform, not my youth uniform.)

It's actually quite colorful isn't it?

Let's start on the left and work our way to the right.

Every Scout uniform comes with the American flag.  Only that and the "Boy Scouts of America" patch are the only patches that come standard on the uniform.  Everything else much be sew on by the Scout's Mom (ha, ha, but not really.) 

The Quality Unit patches (mine are from 1997 and 1998) mean that the troop maintained or increased it's membership that year.  So unlike a lot of the "gimmie" patches, this one can be difficult to get.  It falls more on the leaders than it does the boys. 

Let's talk loops.  Those are those red things on the shoulders.  On a funny sidenote, it seems that I am a bit out of date.  Boy Scouts now wear forest green loops.  Cub Scouts wear blue.  Varsity wears Orange.  Venture Scouts wear green (not forest green) loops.  Council and District wear silver loops, while the higher ups at National and Regional wear Gold. 

One rule of thumb is that whenever you see someone with Silver or Gold loops, be on your best behavior.  That rule works equally well for both youth and adult.  (Sometimes a good reminder always helps.)  So just by those little loops you can tell which level a member is at.

The nice colorful patch is my Order of the Arrow patch.  They also have districts (more correctly Lodges, and I belong to Seminole Lodge #85.  This is a special patch celebrating the 1992 Olympics. 

The place below that on the left side pocket is a free for all.  You can put an earned patch here.  I put my river clean up patch since that event meant a lot to me.  That, and that patch looks cool.  So back to my main point.  This is where you can really customize your uniform.

The purple patch is definitely a "gimmie" patch.  It means you support world scouting.  In other words, you can go to your local district, buy it, and slap it on.  The "ring" patch that is around it just came out.  It is also a "gimmie" patch.  It celebrates the birth of Scouting in America.  You can also buy this at your local district.

The "knot" patches that go above the pocket flap are some of the hardest to get.  My one and only means that I was awarded the "Arrow of Light" from my graduation from Webelos to Boy Scouts.  Other knots are for getting your Eagle Scout award, religious awards, and district awards.  Again, they are very hard to get, and you have to put in many years to earn them.

At the top of the sleeve is the Council patch.  This tells what Council you are in.  I'm in the Gulf Ridge Council.  On a funny sidenote, I am a bit out of date with mine.  A new patch was created four years ago.  It's always neat to go a far-away summer camp, and see who is from different Councils.  A lot of Scouts will carry extra Council patches, and trade Council patches with other.  I have done this a few times.  I have a nice one from Pennsylvania from a Scout I met at Philmont.

The next patch is your Troop number.  I have been in Troops 12, 189, and 180.  Again, I am a bit out of date in that I have the red numbers.  The new ones are green. 

On yet another sidenote, I am still allowed to wear the red loops because my numbers are still red. 

Under the troop number you wear your position patch.  I was an Assistant Scoutmaster.  The youth Scouts wear what position they are as well.  Positions such as Senior Patrol Leader, Patrol Leader, Chaplain, Quartermaster, etc. 

If you attend a School of Scouting event you get the "Trained" patch.  I attended and took a few courses.  It is hosted by the Boy Scouts, and was held at the University of South Florida.  Both leaders and youth can wear this patch as long as they attended.

One thing I didn't get to cover was neckerchiefs.  Most of the time, they aren't worn unless it's for a special occasion.  I usually only wore mine during Scout dinners and awards ceremonies.  The rule is that usually the troop will decide on one style of neckerchief to wear, and everyone will wear that one. 

So that's the tale of my uniform.  As you can see, they really are customized depending upon what you have accomplished.  I do think I like it that way.  It allows one to be part of the organization, but still be an individual. 

Why I Decided To Leave BSA Seabase

The last few years I have been writing this blog it has mostly been about craft projects, old funny stories, or insights into weird ideas.  When I first started this blog back in 2008, it was mainly a diary of how things were going in my life.  I haven't done a post like that in a while, but due to circumstances as of late, I knew I had to write a "diary post."

Back in December I was ecstatic when I was hired to work for the Boy Scouts of America down in the Keys at their high adventure base known as BSA Sea Base.  I had worked for the BSA in 2004 at Philmont in New Mexico.  Since I live about 350 miles from Sea Base, I was able to take my own car, and thus a lot of my stuff along with me.  So I packed up and drove down there.

Unfortunately, my car decided at that moment to have a few problems.  I was stuck in a traffic jam, and it was dangerously close to overheating.  Luckily, I was able to get out of the traffic jam, pull over, and check my car out.  I made it down there okay, but my car was making a lot of noise.

When I get to Sea Base I discover that my "housing" was half the size of a standard hotel room, and there would be four guys to an apartment.  We did have a bathroom, but it was tiny.  Two of my roommates had been there so long they had accumulated a lot of stuff, and there was not any place where I could put my own belongings. 

I start talking to my roommates, and they start telling me about my immediate boss (who I will not mention by name.)  They described him as a Cuban dictator who screamed, cursed, insulted, and abused those around and underneath him.  Now here's a side note.  I had to sign and notarize a paper saying that I would abide by the Scout Law at all times.  (Yes, I really did have to have it notarized.)  So I wonder when this guy is cursing at people, which part of the Scout Law is that under?  I had one of my roommates tell me, and I quote, "I would never work for that madman." 

So in the morning I talk to the main boss about my concerns.  I straight up tell him I'm not comfortable with the living arrangements, and I will not be yelled at.  I said, "If he has a problem with my work, that's fine.  If he doesn't like the way I did something, that's fine.  He can tell me in a calm voice.  The moment he screams or curses at me he will find himself on the ground screaming, "My crotch, my crotch, oh my God my crotch!"  I will not be disrespected in that manner."

The main boss was very sympathetic about my concerns.  He said, my immediate boss was better than he was years ago, but would I have a run in with him?  Yes.  Would I be cursed at?  Yes.  Also, he didn't like the living arrangements either.  But, on an island land is at a premium, and they just don't have much space.  They were in the planning stages of putting together another housing unit, but that would still be years off. 

So I agreed not to take the job, and come back home.  I went to a mechanic that they knew just 9 miles up the road.  They found my compressor and a few items were not working and/or dying.  So I went to Miami to stay with some friends until nightfall.  I was then able to run my car with the A/C off at night when it was cooler.  That way my engine didn't overheat.  I dropped off my car at my trusted mechanic the next day, and he got it working again. 

I have to say that Philmont was an amazing adventure, and I would suggest that every Scout who is interested tries to make it out there sometime during their lifetime.  However, I am not so sold on BSA Sea Base.  I never found it comfortable there, and would not suggest that anyone work there.

On a side note, I had someone suggest that I talk to someone in charge at the Gulf Ridge Council (here in the Tampa Bay area) to see if I could get ahold of a higher up in the Boy Scouts to let them know what was going on.  I didn't think it would do any good.  I mean, the screamer had been with them for years, and I think everyone knew what was going on.  So I don't think it would matter much what I would report.