Sonor Smart Force Drum Kit Black - Reviews without Complaints - Ultratone Guitars

Sonor Smart Force Drum Kit Black

This SONOR drum kit is a perfect kit for the starting drummer or percussionist.  This set includes multi ply shells, excellent hardware, and a perfect set up.  Advanced heads deliver a professional sound and the advanced hardware is designed to handle the power of drumming.

The SONOR Smart Force Series drums are designed especially for beginners at an uncompromisingly attractive price. This drum kit is extremely interesting for all up-and-coming rockers, jazz cats, enthusiasts of metal or the blues … or any drummer who’s looking for a drum set that is sturdy, yet versatile. The 9-layer poplar shells of the SONOR Smart Force Sets are full bodied, providing balanced sound with lots of power up front. These poplar shells deliver maximum strength, perfect curving, and ­neutral ­tuning thanks to tension-free cross-lamination of the individual layers of wood (CLTF Cross Laminated Tension Free Process). The covered finish is very sturdy and long lasting, and the workmanship is impeccable. 

SONOR Smart Force Thicknesses 

9 layers for bass drums, tom toms, floor toms and snare drums = 7.2 mm 

16" Deep Bass Drum 

A deep bass drum drives more power and rich bass drum sounds! The pre-muffled batter and resonance heads on the bass drum provide 'all-round' powerful sounds and dynamic 'kicks'. SONOR heads made by REMO. 

Bass Drum Legs - On Solid Footing, Everywhere You Go! 

The bass drum feets can be converted from rubber to metal by turning the rubber foot. Fixing the position by a fastening screw. 

Tuning Lugs 

The new SONOR Force tuning lugs with fine-pitch threads are equipped with the TuneSafe tuning safeguard feature, which prevents tension screws from loosening. And for the beginner, this means the "tuning" lasts even longer. The standard Force Series bass drum ships with a bracket. The inner workings of the bracket are built for a strong and secure base; thanks to a smooth yet firm application of pressure. With the tried and true ‘Ball Clamp’ system, the tom toms can be securely positioned wherever the drummer wishes. 

Cymbals Not Included 
Black Finish

DBZ Guitars Barchetta FM Plus FR - Another Review without complaints - Ultratone Guitars

DBZ Guitars Barchetta FM Plus FR Electric Guitar Black Cherry

This DBZ Barchetta is an ax designed for the pro player, but priced right for the practicing musician.  These guitars are custom designed by Dean B Zelinsky.  The pickups are custom wound by Seymour Duncan per Den's suggestions and wishes.  The carves are sweet too!  The neck is mahogany with a soft V shape for sweet reach and tone.  Easy to make big bends with the Barchetta.  The Barchetta also features a Floyd Rose Pro Tremolo system so you can dive bomb the night away without going out of tune!

Ultratone Guitars is your source for this guitar!

he Barchetta Embodies Rock N Roll With an Impressive Electronics Set-Up and a Smooth Finish! 

The DBZ Barchetta FM Plus FR Black Cherry Electric Guitar is a full featured shred machine. This Guitar features a thick growl from its thin profile mahogany body with the beauty of a flame maple top and the confident feel of a set in mahogany neck. The 22 Fret fingeboard is ebonized rosewood and provides a solid playing surface. Custom Premier Series Inlays lead you up and down this soft V shaped neck. The pickups are Custom Wound Seymour Duncan DBZB and DBZ5 Humbucker Pickups made in the USA. 1 Volume and 1 Tone knob combine with a 3-Way switch to allow you to dial in that perfect tone for every song. Designed to be your go to electric, the Barchetta is a show stopper everytime! 

DBZ Barchetta FM Plus FR Electric Guitar Features:

Product# BARFMPL-FR-BC
Set In Mahogany Neck
25.5" Scale Length
Mahogany Body with Flame Maple Top
Ebonized Rosewood Fingerboard
22 Frets
Premier Series Inlays
Abalone Purfling
DBZB / DBZ5 Custom Wound Humbucker Pickups
1 Volume / 1 Tone Controls
3-Way Pickup Selector Switch
Grover Tuners
Chrome Hardware
Floyd Rose Tremolo System

Dulcimers and Santoor.. What is the Difference? An Ultratone Guitars Review

Description of the Dulcimer

Dulcimers are a form of board zither that originated in the Middle East. They probably arrived in Europe in the 11th century. It was actually the Europeans who introduced the dulcimers to the Far East in the early 19th century. With slight variations, dulcimers have been found around the globe. They can be plucked or played with hammers. Hammers come in a wide variety of shapes and construction. They may be simple wood, or wrapped with material, some have finger notches and some are straight.

Mountain Dulcimer

The Mountain Dulcimer is hourglass in shape and more closely resembles the zither than the other styles of dulcimer. Mounted along the hourglass shaped soundboard is the fretted neck. The soundboard terminates at the Peg Box. The single, non-course, strings can be noted on the neck while the strings are strummed or plucked.

American Hammered Dulcimer

The American Hammered Dulcimer is usually played on a stand or table. It is trapezoidal is shape. There are two moveable bridges. The Strings run in courses over these bridges between the non-parallel sides. A course is composed of consecutive strings, tuned to the same note. The courses alternate over the left bridge than the right and back and forth. In this way each course of strings provides two tones, one to each side of the bridge. Also, by alternating courses over two bridges four playing surfaces are available, though usually only three are used. The American Hammer Dulcimer has two strings per course. It may be picked, plucked, or played with a bow, quill or hammer.

Persian Hammered Dulcimer

The Persian Hammered Dulcimer is smaller than the American Hammer Dulcimer yet still wider than the Santoor. It is trapezoidal in shape. The left courses are steel and the right courses are brass. They alternate over movable bridges. It has individual movable bridges for each course. It may be picked, plucked, or played with a bow, quill or hammer.

Indian Santoor

The Indian Santoor is trapezoidal in shape. It is not as wide as the Persian Hammer Dulcimer or the American Hammer Dulcimer. The strings run between the non-parallel sides in courses over individual movable bridges. A course is composed of consecutive strings, tuned to the same note. The courses alternate over the left bridge then the right and back and forth. In this way each course of strings provides two tones, one to each side of the bridge. Also, by alternating courses over two bridges four playing surfaces are available, though usually only three are used. These playing surfaces are struck or stroked with light wooden hammers.

Ultratone Guitars Reviews Martin M140 Light Acoustic Guitar Strings - A Pleasure to Strum

For daily play, the Martin M140 80/20 Bronze Light Acoustic Guitar Strings are an ideal set. The Martin company crafts their guitar strings with high standards, just as you would expect from a company that produces some of the nicest instruments in the world.  The core and wrap wires must meet strict requirements in order to make the grade.  All Martin Strings are wound to precise specifications.

The Martin M140 strings have an 80/20 composition which adds brilliance, clarity and longevity of sound.  The bronze winding alloy is ideally suited for making strings have deep rich bass tones and clear bright tones in the treble registers.  A string mid range is naturally produced with this tonal recipe too.

Another key point of the Martin M140 acoustic guitar string's success is the price point.  These strings are priced for the everyday player and crafted to the rigorous quality standards demanded upon by today's top artists.  With a retail price of less than $15.00, these guitar strings are easy to stock up on, which will make the artist sound better and be more ultimately satisfied with their playing.

We hope you enjoy this brief article and all of Ultratone Guitars reviews.  Come back soon to read our new posts!

ModTone Guitar Effects - Ultratone Guitars - Product Reviews without Complaints

ModTone Guitar Effects

The world of boutique guitar effects is becoming more and more saturated.  From multi-effects that range the spectrum of sounds to individualized effects, the market has a lot of pedals and a lot of makers from which to choose.  How do we make the right choice?  Can you pick out a quality effects pedal based solely on price?  How about based on appearance and ease of function?  What about basing your desires on the sounds you can create?  ModTone guitar effects solve this riddle by offering visually appealing, pedalboard friendly, highly functional, and very economical effects pedals. Today, we will take a look at the Pro Series of ModTone effects pedals.

The ModTone MT-AD Analog Delay Pedal:

The Vintage Analog Delay features exclusive analog circuitry coupled with a PT-2399 processing chip. This unique hybrid combination delivers a warm lush sounding delay reminiscent of the spell binding analog circuits of yesteryear without the unnecessary bulk or excessive price. Time, Repeat and Mix is all you need to tap into that expansive canyon of tone!

The ModTone MT-CH Aqua Chorus Pedal:

The ModTone Aqua Chorus features a rate and depth controls that emulate the shimmering tones of a classic vintage chorus or rotating leslie effect adding a liquid dimension to your tone without any degrading signal loss or unwanted noise.

The ModTone MT-DD Deep Dive Octave Plus Effects Pedal:

The Deep Dive Octave Plus is a true bypass sub harmonic effect that’s great in single note or lead guitar applications. Using High Filter, Bass Filter and Sub Level together can create a touch of “octave below” or when maxed out can cross over into some truly great low end frequencies! Flip the modulation switch on and add some square wave fuzz to your tone.

The ModTone MT-DS Speedbox Distortion Pedal:

If you like the sound of a 59 Les Paul roaring through a Marshall stack, you are going to love this pedal. In fact; get all your classic distortion tones here. This pedal is very versatile and is a virtual workhorse that is adaptable to all rock genres.

The ModTone MT-EM Extreme Metal Effects Pedal:

The Extreme Metal pedal is a true bypass boutique style pedal that delivers insane gain levels that go from subtle to over the top. Our specialized “scoop” knob covers plenty of metal territory while leaving all the articulate definition intact. Adjusting the “Low” knob gives any amp that ground shaking low end thump.

The ModTone MT-FL Space Flanger Effects Pedal:

Classic Flanging Like They Used To Make! Slow sweeps, fast warble...it’s all here! Transparent tone and all true bypass circuitry keeps your tone pure. From subtle to extreme the Space Flanger does it all. Crash and burn!

The ModTone MT-HG High Gainer Distortion Pedal:

The High Gainer is a feat of sonic engineering that packs an amazing punch of glorious overdriven tones that gain junkies will love. Go from a mellow laid back gain setting to the sound of tubes on the verge of catching fire! In addition the High Gainer features a set of concentric eq knobs that control both high and low frequencies independently. Add some sparkle on top or enjoy the almost sick level of low end you can achieve.

This blog reviews a small amount of the ModTone guitar effects pedals available.  I encourage all players in the market for a new brand of effects to explore ModTone effects.

Who is ModTone?

After nearly 20 years of designing musical products, our design team emerged from their underground tone lab and hit a home run with the ModTone line of effects pedals that include:

Distortion, Overdrive, Chorus, Phaser, Vintage Delay ,  Deep Dive Octaver, Tremolo, Chromatic Tuner ,Funk Filter Enveloper , Clean Boost , Vintage Wah, Xcellerator Volume+ , Power Plant and Powered Pedalboard. The whole family of  pedals deliver clean, quiet, fat tones in a reliable sealed, corrosion resistant metal chassis that are built to last and compact enough to fit on any pre-existing pedal board without any major modifications. No component went into these without the unrelenting scrutiny from our team of dedicated gear-heads. And this does not even touch on the Mini-Mod series...  ModTone has taken all of the features of the Pro Series and packed them into a tiny footprint at an even smaller price...  Check 'em out HERE!

Where some would simply stick it in a box and be done, this crack team of designers decided a pedal line this good deserved special packaging that reflected their commitment to tone and made sure each heavy duty transport box (with a cool magnetic lid) included a collectible instruction card with all warranty (5-YEAR) and website info. Once these people get an idea in their head they just won't let go and the ModTone line of effect pedals is the culmination of their commitment to bringing high quality tone to the masses.

"Boutique for everyone!" they say. And we agree.

Long Live Tone! Ultratone!

Bluegrass Instruments Reviews - Morgan Monroe Fine Guitars, Banjos, Mandolins

Morgan Monroe has provided a line of fine acoustic instruments, for more than 10 years, with only one simple philosophy; to put high quality acoustic instruments in the hands of musicians without any compromise.  Morgan Monroe has not deviated from this committment since day one. The mindset of bringing an original product with beautiful designs and the use of the finest tonewoods together creates instruments that keep and play wonderfully for a lifetime.  

Morgan Monroe's critical team of specialized luthiers utilize superior craftsmanship skills and the trusted names of Grover Tuners and Fishman Electronics to create something special. They stand behind each of their instruments with a legendary lifetime warranty because the craftsmanship process is so well believed in by the people that produce these instruments.  Only a select few instruments are worthy the name, Morgan Monroe.


         


Morgan Monroe offers a hand-crafted line of acoustic guitars, bass guitars, and 12-string guitars that are built for the ages. Triple Ought (000) models that are faithful to the instruments built during the turn of the century, but they are updated with advanced electronics and hardware demanded by today's modern player.  The Creekside series guitars are a flat pickers dream!  Soft feels, solid tonewoods, and a great factory set up make this series a favorite in the Bluegrass music world.  The Creekside series 00 Blues '32 guitar is a tribute to the instruments that dominated the Blues Music movement prior to World War II.  Every detail from wood selection and neck profile, body contour, depth and finish have been meticulously orchestrated to create a playable work of art worth of a collectors vault but priced for just about any player's budget.

Morgan Monroe combines aesthetic beauty with precision craftsmanship to bring a world class line of banjos that are truly a pleasure to see, hear, and own.  With Mother of Pearl inlays on dark ebony fingerboard and flamed resonators, these instruments really stand out from the crowd.  The Rocky Top series of najos have 3-ply maple rims and bell brass tone rings that bring home a tone that distinctly says, Morgan Monroe. The Gold Pro is Morgan Monroe's finest banjo.  This instrument is a dazzling presentation of gold plated hardware, flamed maple woods, a tone that is simply jaw dropping.

A Style and F Style mandolins are increasing in popular music across many genres.  From Bluegrass roots to Blues to Country Music, Indy Rock, and even Heavy Metal music, the mandolin has its own voice.  Morgan Monroe's Rocky Top MMA series are vintage A Style mandolins made with premium woods and feature world class hardware by Ashton Bailey.  In the land of F style mandolin Morgan Monroe's MDM are antique style mandolins with factory distressed finishes.  Value priced classic reproductions include the MM-100 series of mandolins.  These mandolins lie in the Rocky Top series and combine select tonewoods and beautiful finishes with great tone and playability.

With world class acoustic guitars, banjos, and mandolins that are backed by a 99 year warranty, Morgan Monroe offers musicians a truly versatile instrument that is extremely well made.  These instruments will not only stand the test of time, but are built with tonewood recipes that are proven to sound and feel better over time.  Take advantage of these instruments and see for yourself why not only bluegrass players, but musicians from all genres are choosing instruments built by Morgan Monroe.

Electric Guitars from Today and Yesteryear.....How far have we come along?

Electric Guitars from Today and Yesteryear.....How far have we come along?

The very first patent for the electric guitar was issued in 1937.  The first electric guitars differed greatly both in appearance and overall engineering from the modern guitars we know of today.  Other than the concept of electrifying the signal and amplifying it, what was first known as an electric guitar and what is now known as an electric were pretty different instruments.  

The trend of electrifying an acoustic guitar with a piezoelectric transducer type of pickup is similar to the way the first electric guitars were amplified.  In essence, the vibrations from the strings would resonate to the wood of the bridge and these sounds were "picked up" by transducers and transferred to an amplifier to deliver the sound.  This techonology was used in some of the first hollow-body electric guitars.

The rise in popularity of the electrified hollow-bodied guitar brought on a desire to engineer an electric guitar that has a solid body.  The advent of the magnet/coil pickup would be introduced.  This would open up a new world of design and innovation in the engineering of the electric guitar.  By the late 1950's, an electric guitar pickup that helped to eliminate "ambient noise" was introduced.  This noise became known as the 60-cycle hum and the fix for that became known as the "humbucker." From these early roots, an industry almost as creative as its artists began to evolve in to the billion-dollar industry it is today.  

As the future has come to follow, luthiers and engineers have been experimenting with different combinations of electric guitar pickups, body styles, woods and more.  Innovative designs are now available to musicians. All of these instruments reach different price ranges and qualities, and most importantly, each have a tonal recipe of their own.  Modern techniques are now employed like using CNC machines to make intricate and precise cuts and carves, along with some basic old world craftsmanship principles, hand-detailed components, custom tone circuitry, and custom wound pickups, the musician today can enjoy a guitar that will look and sound like no other.