Boss, Natal and some Freaky Amazing Sticks

Chris is a great guy. He's the fount of all knowledge in the drum department, the Energiser Bunny of all the great ideas, and when he gets excited about something, you know it's going to be a winner. So when Chris comes screaming up to the Admin desk with a handful of drumsticks, talking at a hundred miles an hour about how cool they are, we listen ;)

Chris REALLY loves these sticks!

ProMark FireGrain is what they are called. It's the revolutionary heat-tempering process that makes them so amazing, turning drumsticks into precision tools with unprecedented durability, while keeping their original weight, balance and attack. We are sure Chris is going to have a great time bashing out some rhythms with these beauties.

Which brings us to the next bit of exciting news: there's a new band in town! TinyCastle was formed after a few late night conversations at the City's music bars, and can be described in one word as an anomaly. They have a sound that could be placed within any of the last four or five decades, with a relevance to the dreamers. 

Drawing inspiration from artists such as The National, Tom Petty, The War On Drugs, David Bowie, and Something For Kate to name a few, the group's music emulates and represents youth, regardless of age, a nostalgia that reminds us of the good times. Get out and about in Brisbane and catch up with James, Ben, Will and Chris at a gig - maybe at the Milk Factory on the 22nd of September!

Guitar News

This week we are celebrating all things Boss Effects, and Dave has singled out his three faves: the DD3, CS3 and the "old faithful" Metalzone MT2.

Dave with the Boss CS3, DD3 and MT2 (and Chris has to be a part of it too)

Out of the three, Dave's absolute favourite is the DD3: "I have been using this pedal since the late 90's. It is the soul of my guitar solo sound.  Low level delay swirling around underneath the notes thickens up my lead sound and takes me into exploratory territory. Great for cleans perfect for leads. job done."

The CS-3 Compression Sustainer pedal compresses louder signals while boosting lower signals, providing smooth sustain without degrading the original sound quality. This is the perfect pedal for guitarists and bassists who want to sound their best. 

And the old faithful Boss Mt-2 Metal Zone Effect Pedal is one of our most popular pedals. This stompbox provides some of the most over-the-top, insane distortion tones in the world with huge mids and lows and an ultra-saturated sound.

Drum News

Natal Snares have landed! (And yes Chris is excited about these too!)

Chris with our new Natal Snares

Natal Drums was the brainchild of British percussionist Alan Sharp in 1958, when he was unable to find the quality he wanted in the existing market, so he sourced the parts and created the instruments himself. Since then the Natal team has kept the quality and design second to none.

We are lucky enough to have four snares for you to choose from, all at great deals. We have the 14 x 5.5" Old Bronze Hand Hammered snare, yes that's right entirely hand hammered for that warmer, lower tone. If 14 x 6.5" is more your size, we have three: Bubinga Natural, Natural Ash, and the Clear Lacquered Aluminium. These will look great with any kit and have that genuine British sound and quality that every band is after these days (it's now officially true - every band wants to be British!)

Pro Audio News

This week we are having a look at the Yamaha MG10XU. It's one of Dave's Favourite Things, so best to let him tell you in his own words:

Dave LOVES this mixer!

"I use the MG10XU 3-5 times a week in my drum rehearsal space. 4 mics surround my kit to give me a great monitor reference. I have made full use of the app,  free from Yamaha to record the wav. file audio to sync to video. 

"It's just a big part of my progress and a such a great sounding mixer. Perfect studio quality reverbs and 2 channel compressors come in handy to squish the overheads.

"This mixer is awesome." 

If Dave says it's awesome, then it's awesome.

Spring Cleaning Time!

And Spring has sprung! Well there's no sign of the infamous SEQLD storms yet, but the flurry of spring cleaning around the shop has indicated a new lease on life. And if we do say so ourselves, we have never looked better!

Our nice clean guitar wall :)

Photos never do it justice, you will have to come down and check it out yourself. Browns Plains is a great place to spend the day, we are just a few blocks away from the Grand Plaza, and on our very own strip is Mr Toys Toyworld - but we think our toys are better ;)

See you at The Music Spot!