Bassweek #8: Harley Benton guitars and basses, Marshall sold out, VST Distortion Hot Potato, JHS pedals Bat-Sim
From this episode you will learn who ate the Marshall Amplification, what the new Harley Benton guitars look like, and how artificial intelligence scares musicians.
- Anniversary line of democratic guitars and basses Harley Benton
- Marshall Amplification sold to Zound Industries
- Free VST Hot Potato Distortion by Direkt Software
- Blind overdrive test
- Bat-Sim battery emulator pedal for proper powering of gadgets
- Thomas Bangalter from Daft Punk is afraid of robots
Harley Benton is celebrating its twenty fifth Anniversary with a Celebration Guitar Collection of eight electric guitars and basses in Firemist. The collection contains the best brand’s instruments replicating iconic models. In the line: STratocaster, TElecaster, JAguar, Superstrats Fusion-T and Fusion-III, SC-Les P aul, Jazz Bass and Enhanced Alya Precision Deluxe. Prices for instruments start at $294 and end at $545, which is really super democratic and appetizing. Given the technical characteristics and the materials used, it is immediately clear why these instruments are so inexpensive. But, given the long-established quality that Harley Benton consistently gives out and the guarantees that always come with it, this is one of the best options on the market now in terms of price-quality ratio.
Swedish company Zound Industries acquires Marshall Amplification, including Natal Drums, Marshall Records, and Marshall Live Agency. Zond owned Adidas and was previously licensed to manufacture Marshall-branded speakers. The Marshall family, represented by Terry and Victoria Marshall, will join the board of directors and become the new company’s largest shareholder. According to the Zound website, the merger will strengthen the brand and preserve Marshall Amplification’s heritage and reputation as a valid symbol of rock and roll history, as well as the brand’s legacy in shaping the future of the music industry.
Direkt Software has released Hot Potato a free distortion-saturator VST plugin. There are only six knobs with which you can wind up both a barely noticeable distortion and a furious rattle. The plug-in is quite variable, it can be used both as a standard distortion and as a device for total distortion and the creation of completely new timbres from your instruments or vocals. On the one hand, Hot Potato is a fun distortion that sounds great on drums and synthesized basses, and on the other hand, it is a powerful tool for making textures or the same saturation-based bitcrusher. Definitely give it a try, especially if you love experimenting or looking for inspiration.
“Bad Monkey Fever” still haunts the guitar world, and guitarists are once again testing overdrives somewhere. On the Homeskoolin YouTube channel, Tom Bukovac aka Uncle Larry does a blind test of overdrive pedals while discussing sound and having fun with friends. The test involves a switching system with five classics, five modern pedals, and separate Nobels ODR-1. The main difference between this and other reviews is that Tom does not try to guess the pedal, but tells his feelings and gives an assessment regarding the sound. Be sure to listen to his comments, but to sum up, it becomes clear that more expensive pedals, according to Tom, more often pass the raw signal even when it is not needed and not intended. In general, it seems that the video is also a hidden PR action for the Nobels ODR-1 and the new Pedaltrain Nightlight. See at YouTube
Josh Scott - founder and engineer of JHS pedal never stops experimenting with analog pedal power. Just recently, JHS released the Volture, a pedal that has never been seen before. And now, a month later, Bat-Sim is presented - pumped and improved with a bunch of Volture settings. Through his passion for collecting effects pedals, Josh has noticed that certain types of vintage batteries produce a unique and pleasing sound in his favorite Tone Bender. And after 10 years of studying and testing vintage and other power sources, Bat-Sim was born emulating 10 unique types of power. And to add flexibility, the pedal is also equipped with a commutated Send\Return loop. If you love vintage and are serious about shaping your sound, then Bat-Sim is definitely for you. The price is $99.
The iconic band Daft Punk broke up in 2021 but left a huge legacy in the world of electronic music. After leaving, Thomas Bangalter embarked on a solo career and began writing music for the ballet “Mythologies” and creating the soundtrack for the 2022 film “En Corps”. In a new interview with the BBC, we are talking about artificial intelligence and technology. Bangalter said that he loves cars, but is horrified at how the relationship between machines and people develops. Thomas also emphasized that in Daft Punk they used machines to express something that a machine cannot feel, but a human can. He summed it up like this: “As much as I love this character, the last thing I would want to be, in the world we live in, in 2023, is a robot.” Music for the ballet “Mythologies” as a solo album is already available on all popular streaming platforms.
That’s all the news for today. Oh yes.. a cautionary tale. There lived a boy. He was very fond of vintage guitars, warm tube sound, and watching our videos while sipping hot chocolate with marshmallows. At first glance, the boy was very good, but … he did not subscribe to our channel, so the younger sister unscrewed his tube amplifier and replaced all the tubes with candles!!! Think about it.