Vintage Keyboard Studio update

Here's a project at the FMO Gear Shop that we haven't discussed all that much, especially considering how cool it is. It's our Vintage Keyboard Studio.

I've been working on the studio for almost two years with "Keyboard Mike" Thompson. We've rearranged the studio several times since we started, usually when a new vintage keyboard or analog synth has been brought into the fold.

I wish I had thought to document every incarnation, though we have taken a LOT of nice shots of various vintage keys. These are some pictures I took of how we had the studio set up this past May.

I got the idea for the studio a long time ago, and moving into the FMO Gear Shop gave me the first real opportunity I've had to actually try it out. We started off doing a lot of repairs and restorations.

One of the things I was particularly interested in pursuing was doing custom work and modifications on vintage keyboards and synthesizers. One of my favorite projects has been hot-rodding a 1971 Fender Rhodes Stage 73 electric piano, which you can see above. I've named it the Dream Weaver (after the song by Gary Wright).

I also had new custom cases made for my Rhodes Chroma and Rhodes Chroma Expander made of exotic figured Bubinga wood (see below).

The Bubinga wood Rhodes Chroma and Expander cases were made for me by Wes Taggart of Analogics. I have to say, I was really pleased with how they turned out. Both keyboards also have the PSU and amazing CC+ upgrades available at the RhodesChroma.com website.

We're just scratching the surface, there's a ton more info about our vintage keyboard and synthesizer escapades to come. I wanted the studio to have it's own virtual home and individual identity, so we're going to be posting all of that info on our new website: VintageKeyboardStudio.com.

The website is a work in progress. I got the domain set up, and Keyboard Mike has been working on the content for the past week or so. I originally intended for us to use some kind of Content Management System, but Mike suggested starting with a blog format to develop some of the concepts and material. There's definitely no shortage of material either. The website in its current state is just a taste of what's in store.

One final note - the thing that really prompted the launching of the virtual Vintage Keyboard Studio is the fact that it has officially outgrown its current physical location. We just can't fit all the cool synth gear in that room in an ideal way. Not only that, but we now need the space for our other projects at the FMO Gear Shop.

So... we're looking for a new home. If anyone has any leads on finding a suitable (and roomy) spot in the vicinity of New Haven, CT that's worthy of housing all these cool vintage keys, definitely let us know.

There's a New Girl in Town

It's official... we've got a new member on our team. I hired Kryssi several weeks ago and proceeded to subject her to a grueling 90-day trial period to see if she would work out. Well, she did, and now we're glad to announce that Kryssi is a permanent member of our FMO team.

Kryssi is an accomplished guitarist who studied at Hartt School of Music, and (get this) she's actually into guitar pedals. I think there may be a dozen or so bona fide pedal chicks in the whole world, and one of them now works here. Of course, it takes a lot more than that to be able to actually handle the job, but Kryssi has proven she definitely has what it takes to make things happen. She's already taken charge of all the social networking for Black Cat Pedals, and now she'll be handling sales for Black Cat as well. Feel free to send her an email if you're interested in the pedals, or just want to say hi.

This makes it all worthwhile

It's been more than 5 years since I wrote Analog Man's Guide To Vintage Effects. The book still sells at a moderately steady pace of up to a dozen or so per week throughout the year, except during the holidays when the orders quadruple. We've now sold several thousand copies.

Of course, I realize this book is a weighty tome, but I often wonder to what extent each copy has been read. I suspect there are many owners who have never read it in its entirety, and I'm certain there are a good number who've done little more than look at the pictures (well, they are nice pictures). But once in a while, I'll get actual feedback from a reader. I always love to hear comments from people about the book, especially if they're like this email I got yesterday from "Lefty Perry" in New Hampshire:

Hey Tom,
I had to write this quick story to you. Last night I was sitting at work with your book on my desk where it always is. This guy comes in that I did not know played guitar and looked at the cover. He picked it up and said WOW, WHAT A COOL BOOK. We talked about it. He said he thought it was an old book because it is in such used up shape. I said NO, IT'S ONLY ABOUT TWO YEARS OLD BUT I READ THE BLOODY THING TWO HOURS A DAY. I have read and re-read your book over and over again. I told this guy where he could get your book because I could never lend my own copy out... MAN YOU REALLY DID A GREAT JOB ON THIS BOOK! I am sure you have never received a bad review. Thanks for your hard work!
Perry in NH USA

Black Cat Germanium OD-Fuzz

Germanium Fuzz Lovers, rejoice! Black Cat Pedals is now offering a Germanium version of the popular Black Cat OD-Fuzz. Responding to many customer requests for an OD-Fuzz with Germanium transistors, Black Cat is now offering the Black Cat OD-Fuzz with the Germanium transistor option as a $15 upgrade.

 The Black Cat Germanium OD-Fuzz is essentially the same as a standard Black Cat OD-Fuzz, except the Fuzz Face side uses two NOS 1960s metal can RCA Germanium transistors. It cleans up well when you roll back the volume on the guitar, and does everything that people have come to expect from a good Germanium Fuzz Face. It also meshes amazingly well with the OD-1 side of the OD-Fuzz.

The Black Cat Germanium OD-Fuzz ($225) is just the thing for those who like their fuzz warm and woolly. While the standard Black Cat OD-Fuzz ($210) still uses NOS Philips BC108 transistors, for those who prefer their fuzz with a silicon sizzle. For more information, check out www.blackcatpedals.com.

Black Cat Pedals Video!

Here's a video that was shot by the folks at Premier Guitar magazine at the NY Amp Show. Greg and I are both stunningly articulate, though I can't vouch for photogenic qualities (that's why we let Sara model the shirts). This was shot rather late into the show, after I had done a full day of demoing and talking, so I was pretty beat. Greg sounds way more peppy and alert here.

Black Cat Custom MKI Americano v2

For anyone who didn't know, we did a second run of the Black Cat Custom Tone Bender MKI Americano, which we offered exclusively to our email subscribers. We built ten pedals, sold eight and have been sitting on the last two for a few weeks. But we've decided to stop being selfish and offer them up for sale. We changed the graphic slightly, but other than that these are exactly the same as the first batch. Here are some pictures of the MKI Americano v2.













We've received some fantastic feedback from our MKI Americano customers. I thought I would share a few of the comments we received. Needless to say, we're pretty overwhelmed with the response.


Hi Guys!
I won your MKI Americano on eBay in March and I just had to write to tell you that this is the best damn fuzz I have EVER PLAYED!!!!! This pedal is made so right you guys should be charging DAM prices for them. Never in my 17 years of playing and 4 years of buying VERY expensive boutique gear have I ever had so much joy playing music through a single device! It plays nice with all my guitars - 1998 Fender Strat Eric Clapton with Fralins, 1975 Stock Fender Telecaster, Gibson LP 1958 VOS, Jackson SL-3 etc. I think you guys get the idea. It loves my Mesa Stiletto 2x12 combo and my Marshall 1987x MKII. It works with everything I plug into it/it into. Great work! I have owned the ("insert name") here stuff, and I can honestly say this pedal is Number One. Could you please please please please please please please please I’M REALLY BEGGIN’ HERE GUYS!!!! Build me another one as a backup? DID I SAY PRETTY PLEASE!!!!???
Lots of love, John V

The pedal does have that MKI killer sound, dynamics and overtones; the way the notes bloom out after that are hit and raise to the distortion level, I love it! Great build and solid pedal!
Thanks, Mark H

Tom, I just got my MKI Americano and all I can say is WOW! It has far exceeded my expectations. This is probably the most difficult circuit (as I'm sure you guys know) to get right and you guys nailed it! I have 4 other MKI builds, which are all great pedals, but yours is the most authentic sounding. I think a lot of builders try too hard to make this circuit sound pretty and IMO the primitive sound is what I love about it. I was really hoping this pedal would sound more Yardbirds era Beck, sizzle, spit and all, and I got exactly that. Excellent! I am really surprised you guys got so close using American components, but I guess they are not as important as the builder's skill and ears. Anyway, Thank you for giving me the opportunity to get this incredible pedal, and I will definitely be doing business with you in the future as my finances permit. Thank you Tom and all at the shop for a really fantastic build, I will certainly enjoy it!
Mike B

The MKI arrived bright and early last week. I have to tell ya that I was in heaven over the weekend, bro. My God it's just brilliant, Tom! Absolutely brilliant! You guys hit this thing right outta the ballpark. With a Les Paul and the volume rolled back to around 7 it's so tastefully lethal. It's the 1st time I've ever turned on a pedal, fuzz or otherwise, and heard the sounds I've always heard on all my favorite records. I know you're prolly thinking that it's just the honeymoon period. But after playing for almost 32 years Tom I don't have honeymoons anymore. At this stage of the game it only takes me a few minutes to know whether or not I'm going to like a circuit or not. And after not even a minute I knew the Americano was going to be special for me. I just love it Tom. And I wanted ya to know. So that's all amigo. I just wanted to let you know that your hard work is appreciated. And that I love my MKI a metric ton. Thanks for the awesome circuit, and the lovely craftsmanship too. Peace Always,
Charlie R
 

More Black Cat Pedals T-Shirts

Due to popular demand, we've added a couple more sizes to our selection of Black Cat Pedals t-shirts - Small and XXL. Yes, believe it or not we have had several requests for the XXL size... in BOTH colors! And not surprisingly, we've had some requests for Small size shirts as well, one of which came from our Black Cat Pedals spokesmodel Sara, who told us that she never wears her Medium Black Cat t-shirt because it's too big for her. Here you can see her modeling the new Small size shirts.

We now have Black Cat t-shirts in both colors and all five sizes available at the FMO Gear Shop.

New Pedal - Black Cat Custom Professional MKII

Black Cat Custom is at it again. In the vein of the infamous Black Cat Tone Bender MKI Americano, we have created the Black Cat Custom Professional MKII. Like the MKI Americano, the Professional MKII began as a special request from a customer, but this time we only made two additional pedals (still available for sale as of this writing).

The Black Cat Custom Professional MKII is our take on the iconic 1960s Sola Sound Tone Bender Professional MKII, made famous by Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton among others. The Black Cat MKII is wired point-to-point on double turrets, just like the MKI Americano. However, we opted for a more traditional approach, rather than repeating the Americano theme.

Our component selection for the MKII reflects an old-school British flair, using a Newmarket NKT274 and two Philips OC75 transistors, Mullard tropical fish capacitors, and the board material is made from genuine Stonehenge bluestone (okay, I made that last part up). In all seriousness, the Black Cat Professional MKII is everything we could want in a great MKII Tone Bender.

NY Amp Show

We attended our first public event as Black Cat Pedals at the NY Amp Show, June 5th and 6th at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Piscataway, NJ... Here for your viewing pleasure are some pictures.

Welcome to the Amp Show!

 Inside the Embassy Suites Hotel 

Here's the Black Cat Pedals room

Embassy Suites Hotel Lobby

  Black Cat Pedalboard

Tom demos some Black Cat Pedals

Amp Show Souvenirs

Who wants a Tweed Deluxe?

That's right, we're making amps now! Check out this Tweed Deluxe clone that was just built by our assistant tech, Chase. He actually did this on his own, with very little input or assistance from Greg. And believe it or not, this was Chase's first amp build - not too shabby, huh?


Chase ordered the 5E3 kit from Mission Amps and asked if he could take a day off and work on it at our shop. Then he dug in and got to working on it pretty intensely and managed to have it finished in a couple of days. Here are some pictures of the result. Anyone need an amp kit built? Let us know!

I'm Awesome!

Hey everybody, I'm awesome! At least that's what it says on these cupcakes that Black Cat Sara made for my birthday. In case you can't see it, there's a letter on each cupcake so altogether they spell "You're Awesome." It made me feel pretty special when she brought in these awesome cupcakes... and they were pretty tasty too! Sara and I ate most of them right there on the spot, although we had some help from everyone else in the shop. Now, I don't know how awesome I really am, but I sure do have a great crew working here.

FMO Customer of the Month - 5/10

For some strange reason, that I won't even begin to question, our sales over the past couple of months have been absolutely phenomnal. It seems like everything has picked up all at once - our custom and repair work, vintage sales, and new dealers for Black Cat Pedals. At first, I thought it must be a fluke, but the orders and requests just keep coming.

Among all this activity, there is one particular customer who really stands out - our new Canadian friend, Mr. David Sheeler. David is a vintage effects collector with exquisite taste who just discovered the FMO Gear Shop on the web. A great match! For we all know, the FMO Gear Shop has more vintage effects than any place else on the web. We helped David add several prime pieces to his collection, including a Tycobrahe PedalFlanger, an original Vox Clyde McCoy, and an original MXR Blue Box. As if that weren't enough, Dave's a super nice guy who's been great to deal with. Thanks Dave!

Two Different Shows in One Day

Things have been crazy/busy this past week, which culminated yesterday with being a vendor at the first ever Westchester Guitar Show, hosted by Rosehill Music Center, then leaving right from the guitar show to go see Todd Rundgren at the Ridgefield Playhouse. The show for this current tour is called "Todd Rundgren's Johnson" and features his band performing select works of blues legend Robert Johnson, along with many of Todd's own songs done up with a blues treatment. I went with Analog Mike, who had backstage passes and kindly invited me as his +1 guest.

I've been a Todd Rundgren fan for many, many years and I've probably seen him over 20 times. So even though I knew the guitar show would be grueling and leave me exhausted, I told Mike I would definitely be attending the concert. We had the passes courtesy of Todd's guitarist, Jesse Gress, who's an Analog Man customer. Also playing was Todd's cohort and ex-bandmate in Utopia, Kasim Sulton on bass, and former Tubes drummer Prairie Prince. Mike suggested we give Todd a signed copy of Analog Man's Guide To Vintage Effects (great idea!). The show was great, and afterwards Jesse came out and took us backstage to hang out for a bit. Here's a picture I took of Jesse's pedalboard.

Eventually, we were ushered to the tour bus, where I finally got to meet Todd and found myself... well, a little tongue-tied, honestly. I did give him a signed copy of Analog Man's Guide though, and I also brought my own personal copy of the book (in which I collect autographs) for Todd to sign. He wanted to know which page to sign, so I asked him what his favorite pedal was. After a few chuckles and a little head scratching, he said, "Well, the first pedal I ever had was that brown fuzzbox... I think it was... a Maestro?" I quickly opened the book to the picture of the Maestro FZ-1 Fuzztone. He wrote "Mmmm... I'm getting fluffy fuzzy" along with his signature and the date. 

First Ever Interview

Stomp That Box has just published the first ever interview with yours truly. It's a lengthy, tell-all piece that details my early days at Analog Man right up to the revival of Black Cat Pedals. It's a great read with a lot of interesting and humorous anecdotes. A must for pedal heads! 

CLICK HERE TO READ

New Blog Page!

Oh hey, look! We have a new blog page. We switched over to blogger to take advantage of the features and versatility we were missing on our old blog. Unfortunately, we lost ALL the old comments that you kind people have left for us over the past year and a half. That actually bummed me out. Oh well. Please feel free to leave lots of new comments, we'd like that.