Home of Tone Blog
THE UFO TONE TAKEOVER! - Our 2018 Mind Charity Official Home of Tone shirt is now available for Pre-Order!
After the brilliant success of the first Mind Charity fundraising shirt, raising a total of £500 for the charity. The brilliant shirt designed by ODFU Clothing went down so well and I received so many requests to release another, so here we are with the 2nd ODFU x HoT Charity shirt.
Continuing the story of our little UFO, it's taking over your home and rig!
Continuing the story of our little UFO, it's taking over your home and rig!
Home of Tone Record of the Week - Deftones' Diamond Eyes
Deftones were a band that emerged to many in the 'Nu Metal' era around the late 90s/early 00s, with their albums Adrenaline, Around the Fur and White Pony. Their sound, for me anyway, separated them from the pack. Chino's vocal lines following unique melodies over the commanding guitar parts. I loved their sound and were one of the very few bands to stand the test of time through that era without sounded dated or defined by that breakout metal era.
Diamond Eyes, released in 2010 absolutely floored me. Hypnotic guitar parts from guitarist Stephan Carpenter armed with his array of 7 & 8 String guitars (to name a few, Stephan is known for using an array live and in the studio) simply had me hooked from the first listen and I still binge on this record until now. I've had this record in my car solidly for the past few weeks and it's such a good metal record. For me it's so much more than that, which Deftones have the habit of doing!
James.
Diamond Eyes, released in 2010 absolutely floored me. Hypnotic guitar parts from guitarist Stephan Carpenter armed with his array of 7 & 8 String guitars (to name a few, Stephan is known for using an array live and in the studio) simply had me hooked from the first listen and I still binge on this record until now. I've had this record in my car solidly for the past few weeks and it's such a good metal record. For me it's so much more than that, which Deftones have the habit of doing!
James.
Home of Tone Record of the week - Seth Lee Jones' Live at The Colony
You may remember a little while back I shared a go fund me campaign set-up by incredible musician and luthier, Seth lee Jones, to help raise the funds to make his first record possible. Well due to the great following he has, he soon smashed the required target and was able to produce and release his first record! Live at The Colony is as the name suggests, a live recording from one of his regular residencies at The Colony, a Tulsa based music venue. This is a 6 track record packed full of the most incredible slide guitar work you're likely to hear, not just in the blues genre. Seth's voice is authentic, soulful and suits his unreal guitar playing perfectly. The back cover shows his trusty SLJ Telecaster, along with it's McNelly Stagger Swagger and Duel Blade pickups and monstrous Hipshot bender tailpiece. Seth is the master of this B-Bender style tailpiece, which has three levers situated on the A, G & B strings.
He's an absolute monster of a guitar player, and I'm so glad to have it on CD now after spending so many years enjoying his instagram, facebook and YouTube clips.
James.
He's an absolute monster of a guitar player, and I'm so glad to have it on CD now after spending so many years enjoying his instagram, facebook and YouTube clips.
James.
Home of Tone Record of the week - Ariel Posen's Fade
I've decided to feature something a little different to my usual album of the week, as this just got released and it sounds wayyy too good to not share! Friend of the Home of Tone, the incredible Ariel Posen has been woo-ing us for quite some time with his work in the Bros Landreth band and he's here with the first of his solo singles, Fade.
'More than' Yellowcake Fried Gold overdrive demo from 15 Second Gear Demos
I'm not sure whether I've shared this great video on the blog before, so here it is! Dan Hall from 15 Second Gear Demo who does some superb video demos of pedals and gear, featured the Yellowcake Fried Gold Overdrive that I stock in the UK, on his 'More Than' video series. This is a superb representation of what the pedal can do, with rhythm and lead playing and a few different guitar/pickup types. Exactly what you want from a demo!
Home of Tone Record of the week - Kurt Vile's b'lieve i'm goin down...
Kurt Vile's seemingly free falling guitar parts, meandering vocals and country-indie esq sound is something I've fell completely in love with. I was pretty late to the game with his music, but have truly been making up for it ever since particularly with b'lieve I'm goin down.. being right up there as one of my most listened to albums of recent years.
How to Guide - Fitting a Pre-Wired Harness to a Stratocaster!
With every pre-wired harness I ship out, I supply a handy fitting guide with tips and key points to follow to make the install go smoothly as well as a simple to follow wiring diagram. But, understandably of course, sometimes translating that info to the real world when the soldering iron is smoldering away can be a little daunting if you're not used to it. So I've wanted to create a step-by-step guide to fitting one of my Home of Tone pre-wired Stratocaster harnesses!
Seb from Ground Control Audio on The Guitar Knobs Podcast!
This is a great way to learn more about the world of Ground Control Audio direct from Seb himself, as he was featured on the latest Guitar Knobs Podcast!
NPD! - I finally own a Zvex Instant lo-fi junky!
I've been lusting after this pedal for quite some time and I'm very happy indeed to say I finally own one! So, if you're unfamiliar with it, I'll explain a little more and also share why I wanted one on my board.
Having enjoyed the music of Boards of Canada and Bibio for example, I've found myself captivated by some of the guitar sounds across their album catalogs. Beautifully hypnotic, warbly lo-fi guitar tones which I've fancied attempting to re-create at home for some time but not really known how to achieve it...
Having enjoyed the music of Boards of Canada and Bibio for example, I've found myself captivated by some of the guitar sounds across their album catalogs. Beautifully hypnotic, warbly lo-fi guitar tones which I've fancied attempting to re-create at home for some time but not really known how to achieve it...
Home of Tone Record of the week - Laura Marling's Semper Femina
Laura Marling is a consistent sound in our house, my wife and I adore her music and this particular record is a real favourite of mine. Semper Femina kicks off with the incredibly atmospheric 'Soothing'. Laura's voice is utterly haunting over the double bass line, a definite headphones moment. This album is a real journey right from the start, with some beautiful more 'traditional' if you can use the word, Laura Marling songs, alongside her clearly wandering musical mind intertwining perfectly together. Definitely one of my favourite albums of hers, and I don't think a week goes by where we don't listen to this, so about time I shared it as my record of the week! I might note as a bit of a showing off moment, but you may notice our record sleeve is signed too, Marling geeks will appreciate I'm sure.
Ground Control Audio tease new pedal release
Today over on Ground Control Audio's Instagram page, Seb teased a photo of the finished up Tsukuomi enclosure stating the new pedal will be released very soon! I'm really excited about this one, especially as I have some on the way!
I'll be sure to share the announcement as soon as Seb puts us out of our misery and tells us more!
I'll be sure to share the announcement as soon as Seb puts us out of our misery and tells us more!
London International Guitar Show!
It's felt like a long time since our last guitar show, so we're making up for it with a trip down to the big smoke for the London International Guitar Show 2018!
This is a brilliant show organised by Pete and Gail of Northern Guitar Shows, who always provide a great atmosphere and diverse range of exhibitors. My favourite shows due to the relaxed nature of the events, perfect for guitarists to indulge in some geekery. This is my first time at the London show, and myself and Emma are looking forward to heading there in October! If you're local to this show, be sure to come along and come and say hello!
This is a brilliant show organised by Pete and Gail of Northern Guitar Shows, who always provide a great atmosphere and diverse range of exhibitors. My favourite shows due to the relaxed nature of the events, perfect for guitarists to indulge in some geekery. This is my first time at the London show, and myself and Emma are looking forward to heading there in October! If you're local to this show, be sure to come along and come and say hello!