Home of Tone Blog
'Reverse' Logarithmic pots - As a left handed player are they 'right' for me?
Since first making my wiring kits, as well as stocking individual parts for replacement, I knew I wanted to offer options for left handed instruments and customers too.
After speaking with a number of left handed players to get a feel for their requirements and preferences, it became quickly apparent that there really is no 'standard' spec when it comes to what manufacturers use in new left handed instruments, nor was there a preferred choice by players either when it comes to which pots to use aftermarket. It's easy for right handed players like myself to take it for granted, that if we head to a shop and pick up a guitar, we know how the pots will function in terms of their turn direction, there is an industry standard that seldom deviates. But something as simple as which way the pots work just isn't the same for left handed players, and I think these manufacturer inconsistencies are perhaps in part to blame for the vague nature of the information out there.
Introducing the Very Good Amp Co, and their EP Drive V3 pedal to the Home of Tone!
Handbuilt and designed by Jon Armellino in Denver, CO USA, the EP Drive offers the classic EP3 style pre-amp tone, in a versatile drive pedal. Jon is passionate about amp and pedal circuits, starting the Very Good Amp Co in 2020 and gaining a good following quickly due to this fantastic first pedal in his range. I'm really pleased to be stocking this great sounding, versatile drive and pre-amp pedal, considering this is an early release for a new company, things look incredibly bright and it's great to be on board!
Introducing my new Home of Tone exclusive Loaded For Bear cables!
I've been stocking Loaded For Bear Audio instrument cables for some time now, the customer response is always great, I've been really happy with the consistent quality and unique visual design aspects of the cable range. But I must admit, I did always wonder what we could do for a Home of Tone edition/exclusive and thankfully, Jon at Loaded For Bear Audio has been kind enough to work with me on this idea too!
A fantastic, budget friendly guitar range lands at the Home of Tone; Introducing 'SX Guitars'!
For long time followers of the Home of Tone, this particular brand, or price point of guitar may be somewhat of a surprise to see on my site and roster. But rest assured, SX joins the Home of Tone after a lot of researching, trial time and planning so I'm equally as proud to represent this more budget friendly guitar brand alongside the top of the range handmade instruments you've come to know me for.
Wiring kits now available for Fender Jaguars!
It is very long overdue, but my Signature Series Jaguar re wire kits have just hit the site! To start with anyway, this one is a humble recreation of the traditional specs/style and is available as sections, or a full kit. Which might help for repairs, as well as full re wires. The various cavities/routes and wire channels on these short scale offsets mean some of the final connections need to be made in situ, but the traditional colour coded wires, my labelling and accompanying wiring diagram will assist with that. Really enjoyed finally getting around to making these an available item instead of some kind of secret handshake, the Jag deserved better than that and needed to be up there alongside my JM and Mustang kits.
ThorpyFX arrive at James' Home of Tone!
I have been a fan of ThorpyFX pedals for a number of years, and have very much dreamt of stocking them here which I'm very proud to say is now possible! If you're in the West Midlands/Dudley Borough and have wanted to try out a ThorpyFX pedal in person, then hopefully this will help as I'm more than happy to have visits at my office here in Stourbridge! Or of course, due to being a well established online retailer too, I can ship across the UK and Europe as well!
Dependent and independent volume controls and your Gibson!
If you've played Gibson style guitars such as a Les Paul, SG or 335 for any period of time, you'll likely be familiar with how their volume controls work. Despite having two volume controls, one for each pickup, they don't work completely independently to one another. There is still some interaction between each control/pickup but perhaps most notable is when in the middle position and you roll down one volume control, it cuts the entire signal. This is because the volume controls are dependant of one another, rather than fully independent. They've been wired this way for decades, and whilst most players are either simply used to it that way or actively prefer it (even making the most of it and using the controls as a form of kill switch too for example!), there are players that really don't like it and desire independent controls in their guitars.
An interesting Hofner I couldn't help but get involved with!
Although I'm not overly knowledgeable on them, I do find vintage Hofner guitars beautiful designs to admire. They were certainly very well built and capable instruments in their own right, but at times were unapologetically inspired by the exotic, and somewhat more exclusive USA guitar brands pioneering guitar design at the time. I've only had the chance to get my hands on a small number of 50s and 60s Hofner and similar brand guitars, and there is a certain magic to them. Knowing that a lot of these guitars would have been absolute prized possessions when new and likely for the majority of their lives. I think that carries as much value as their monetary estimations, or exceeds it perhaps too.
Now offering DPD Local shipping options!
I am constantly reviewing my shipping options to ensure the best service possible, from ordering right through to delivery. This can sometimes prove difficult for small businesses as most courier companies require high volumes to provide any form of competitive tariffs. Many of you opt for the Royal Mail postage options which is great and also helps support my local post office where Ran, Jess and the team there have been a massive help for me. But having a reliable courier option has been important to me for a long time too. I've been using UPS who have kindly offered me some fair rates considering the somewhat lower volumes my business was dispatching through them early on. But I have been experiencing a number of delays with their international customs clearance process, which I know has lead to a lot of frustrations for my international customers, so as a result I have been looking at new options to help resolve this. I spoke with a number of couriers, but DPD Local presented me with a pretty similar tariff, but with an improved service level so I have decided to open the account and make the switch the DPD!
July 1st 2021 'Brexit' Trade deal changes, what they mean and what I'm doing to adapt
Well, we're on the brink of another revision to the post-brexit 'trade' deal, with some changes coming into place as of tomorrow.
One of the changes in particular has the potential to make ordering goods under the value of 150Euro from the UK, into the EU ever so slightly more predictable and slightly more cost effective(!) so I wanted to touch on it here in case it is of any help to my EU based customers.
"10 Classic Rock Riffs from ONE Pedal" A great new video of the Tate FX Sirens Scream!
A great new video courtesy of Matt at 'Let's Play All' YouTube channel of our beloved TateFX 'Sirens Scream'. I think this is a brilliant way to showcase the variety of heavy, grungy distortion tones available from this pedal. Well worth checking out if you dig anything RAT based! Don't forget, TateFX are available here at James' Home of Tone too!
Update for International customers regarding importing
Since January 1st, importing and exporting changed for us (by us I mean consumers all across UK and Europe). It has been a frustrating time which hasn't eased up much at all with delays still happening on international shipments and in particular, delays through customs clearances.
I do still get the same messages of concern and questions about the process even 6 months on, why they've received a customs invoice, why the parcel is delayed at customs etc. Although this has been mainstream news for some time now, I do respect this may possibly be a first time import for some customers. So in light of that I want to share a page/article I put together back in January to help provide as much information as I can to help ensure you're aware of the process and possible costs involved. I spent a lot of time researching and making sure this information would be as helpful as possible, and feel it covers what an importer needs to know and what to expect both in the process and costs involved.