TC Electronic Ditto Looper Review

For my last post of 2013, I wanted to write about the TC Electronic Ditto Looper. Not only has it become my favourite pedal on my pedal board, it was also a Christmas present from my girlfriend.

The Ditto Looper is - as the name says -  a looper, but a very special one; in fact: it is the smallest looper out there, the easiest to operate and it is the best tone keeping looper the world has ever seen.

Dimensions 

Width: 51 mm / 2,00 in

Lenght: 93 mm / 3,66 in

Height: 45 mm / 1,77 in

To give you an idea of these dimensions, it is only a bit longer than a credit card and it is just as wide. 

Price

And not only the dimensions are impressive, so is the price tag. You should be able to pick it up for somewhere near 100 Euros or 130 USD, depending on where you live.  

Review

Back to the pedal; to keep things that small TC Electronic have thrown out every unnecessary feature, and created an affordable pedal that keeps your tone, thanks to the analog dry-through and true-bypass the fitted it with. But the small casing makes us wonder what the Ditto Looper would be like in actual use.

Well, as it turns out, the only thing you might miss is the drum functionality its (more expensive) rival, the Boss RC-3, has to offer.. You don't get any of the fancy tap tempo or parallel loop functions the more premium loopers have either. 

What you do get,  however, is a very small and lightweight pedal that is incredibly easy to use and can record up to 5 minutes of loop. You can do an unlimited amount of overdubs and -again- all that without a loss of audio quality. 

And to show you just what the power of the Ditto Looper has, I am going to list some of my favourite YouTube videos of the Ditto Looper at the end of this article, together with a link to the TC Electronic website, so you know where you can find your local dealer to give it a try.

I tried it myself a couple of times at my local dealer too. However, I was a little short on cash, since I had just bought the Epiphone Emperor Swingster Royale you might have read about.

But apparently, I have talked about it that much, that my girlfriend decided to buy it for me as a Christmas present. SInce then, I haven't been able not to mess around with it, just because its great for playing your favorite songs with some (self-made) backing tracks to it or just to exersice your scales and improvisation skills. 

I truly believe that the TC Electronic Ditto Looper can help any guitar player -

beginner or advanced- pick up new tricks and scales very quickly while having a lot of fun, the way learning and jamming was meant to be. 

To wrap things up, the Ditto Looper makes a great companion for any guitarist, to create tracks or cover them everywhere you go: easy and fun. And for the smaller price tag, it might be worth considering adding it to your pedalboard, because you will use it way more than you ever though you would. 

Give it a try at your local dealer: find out more on TC Electronic's official Ditto Looper page

I would like to thank my girlfriend for her support, not only for tolerating my guitar obsession, but also for encouraging me to play more often and to write about what I love.

I know I haven't got too many readers right now, which is why I would like to thank the readers I do have for taking the time to read my articles.

Happy New Year everyone!

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As promised, I'll leave some YouTube videos that explain just why this is an incredibly powerful pedal in the hands of any guitarist.

Here's Kasper Falkerberg giving the Ditto Looper a go with a very Pink Floyd-ish solo at the end. 

Kasper also made a funk jam with the Ditto Looper here

And here you can see Richard Fortus, from Guns 'n Roses, play an improvised rock ballad. 

Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake) gives the Ditto Looper a go too here!

Other videos that explain the Ditto Looper's true capabilities and usability:

• A somewhat long review of the Ditto Looper by PrymaxeVintage
• Review by SweetwaterSound
• I can't understand the language here, but this man's playing and ideas sounds great!

Epiphone Emperor Swingster Royale Review

Despite being a strong believer in quality built guitars and therefore being a fan of the quality brands (Gretsch, Gibson, Fender, PRS, etc.), I recently picked up an Epiphone Emperor Swingster Royale.

I was just looking in the guitar shop nearby, looking at the guitar selection when I saw this Emperor Swingster (the Royale edition). It was really pleasing to the eye, so I decided to give it a go. And -unplugged- I liked the guitar already, I loved the general look and feel of it, so I decided to plug it in a Laney Cub 12R (the very same tube amp as the one I have at home). Its Gretsch look made me wonder: can a 630 Euro Epiphone guitar really blow my mind and conquer a place next to my Gibson Les Paul and Fender Strat?

The Epiphone Emperor Swingster Royale is one of Epiphone's limited edition runs of their classic Emperor Swingster model. It comes with a slightly more premium look and finish. But can this throwback at the Gretsch White Falcon prove worthy tonewise? I was incredibly impressed; for this price range you sure get a whole lot of features and tone variety as well as a fairly well built guitar.

With its beautiful inlays,
you get that premium look for
a fraction of the price

 Guitar Review

First, the headstock is very nicely finished (you get some premium inlays and some cheap, but from a distance very nicely looking binding around the edges) and the tuners are very solid as guitar very rarely goes out of tune. 





When you go down to the neck, the rosewood fretboard has those typical Gibson Custom inlays. Around the edges, you get the same gold flake style binding. And again, it is not done perfectly, but it is definitely not a deal-breaker for the money. And then we go towards the body itself and my oh my, is it beautiful! 

The Bigsby and Swingbuckers are pleasing to the eye and ear

The F-holes look great, so do the bridge, the Bigsby vibrato arm, the 3-way pick-up switch and the tone and volume knobs. Speaking of which, the volume knobs offer you a great feature, that is more and more implemented in guitars nowadays, but only rarely come off as an actual asset to the guitar, but Epiphone managed to ace it. I am talking about Epiphone's Swingbuckers, and their very own take at the series/parallel switching of these Swingbuckers. For those of you who are not fully aware of what this does, it allows you to switch between humbucker and single coil modes (and therefore tones) in just a push/pull of the volume knob. This creates some of the most versatile tones I have ever gotten from a guitar (and certainly from this price range!). The pickups sound great no matter what tone or pickup you selected. You can go from anywhere between a mellow Santana-like sound, to a BB King tone, all the way to a twangy vibe.

I am really impressed so far by this guitar and I will definitely edit this review even more as I get to spend more time with it, since I bought the guitar (yes, I liked it that much :) ).

Round-up 

• Pros

Looks

Tone 

Price

Feel

• Cons

Not perfectly finished everywhere 

Did not come with a bag or case

If you feel that the pros outweigh the cons, I really suggest that you should pick one up and try it (before the last of them are sold).

For specs and to find your local dealer, go to Epiphone's official Emperor Swingster Royale page

Let me know if you have gotten your hands on one or if there is anything in particular you would like me to cover about this particular guitar.

Coming up

Coming up real soon:

Epiphone Emperor Swingster Royale Review!

Ditto Looper Review!

Beginner guitar tips
- essential guitar effects
- best ways to practice
- small things that can change your tone

Advanced guitar tips
- importance of cables
- buffer vs true bypass
- amps on a budget

Apps for your mobile to help you to play the guitar

How I chose my guitars

For this week's post(s), I would like to start off by showing you my setup and an explanation why I chose that  specific combination.

I will also give you some general advise.

So let us begin with the essence for every guitar player...

THE GUITARS

How do you choose a guitar?

Let me start off by saying which ones I have. I have a Gibson Les Paul Studio and a Fender Stratocaster American Special. (read more about what made these two models legendary) I chose these two because of many reasons. First of all, my first quality guitar was the Les Paul. I chose the studio, since I knew I was going to change the pickups anyway. Plus, back in the days, the difference in price between the Studio and the Standard was way bigger than it is now. Since then, I have done several minor changes to it, mostly aesthetically, and a pickup change. The Les Paul is now fitted with Seymour Duncan humbuckers. In the neck, I chose for a mellow and jazzy tone; the Seymour Duncan '59 humbuckers. In the bridge position I installed their Distortion humbuckers, to get that fat tone and infinite sustain when combined with a fuzz or distortion pedal.

The Gibson Les Paul is a great guitar, but is sometimes too heavy and too fat (tonewise) due to the rosewood and the massive body, so that is why I also have an American Special (a Stratocaster).

Every rational being will wonder why I would need two guitars. The thing is: these two are completely different.

They are night and day when it comes to look and feel. The only thing they do have in common is that they both play exceptionally well.

So what do I need the Fender for? I like the feel. Its maple neck makes it feel incredibly slick and it sounds so crisp and clean. Furthermore, its weight makes it much nicer to play with for longer periods (gigs, etc.)

CRITERIA

Choosing a guitar is not easy. It sounds cliché but you really need to be instantly in love with it before you by it. If not, you will end up going back to your old guitar or you will just regret the amount of money you spent. I do not like playing the guitar in music shops myself, but it is by far the best thing you can do in order to decide. Do not forget to test it for longer periods. Do not be shy. The weight is of great essence, so if you are testing (let us say) a Les Paul, just see for yourself if you like the weight and sustain it brings with it or whether you want to go with something lighter.

TIP

If you are buying your first guitar or are not aware of all the differences, make sure to try out guitars of different weights, different bridges, different kind of pickups, and different fretboard materials. These 4 criteria are very decisive for your tone, versatility and feel.

I will also go and write about my pedalboard soon and I promise to give way more tone tips then, since pedals are less about feel and more about quality in general.

Gibson Les Paul vs Fender Stratocaster: what made them legends

One of the most heated discussion between guitarists is between Gibson and Fender, and more specifically between their two flagship guitars: the Les Paul and the Stratocaster.

Both guitars have a very rich history and have very different ideas behind their models. 

I am not going to go too much in-depth as I am sure many of you will know most of their history and what famous guitarists use which guitar. 

Instead I am going to focus on the actual reason why they were created and what tones they produce.

A brief lesson of history

The Les Paul has been created in 1952, when the president of Gibson , Ted McCarty, decided to co-create with a man named Lester Polsfuss, better known as Les Paul. Les Paul was known as an innovator and inventor; he liked to experiment with things that were ahead of his time, such as sound-on-sound techniques, tape delays, phaser effects, etc.

The Les Paul was created initially to reduce the feedback guitarists often get from hollow-body guitars. He did so by taking an Epiphone guitar, sawing it open and putting a piece of massive wood in it. The end-result was a guitar that caused less feedback and had way more sustain, something the Les Paul models are still known for.

The sustain on the Les Paul models is what makes them special. Yes, it causes them to be very weighty, but it also generates a huge versatility, which has made the Les Paul the best overall guitar according to some guitarists. 

The Stratocaster on the other hand was first seen in '54. It has made its appearance thanks to a cooperation between Leo Fender, Freddie Tavares and George Fullerton. 

What made this guitar so special is its feel and its cut-out. The average Stratocaster ranges between 7.7 lbs to 8.6 lbs. In terms of kilograms, that would be 3.5-4 kg.

The average original Les Paul however could go anywhere between 9 and 12 pound. Even though the diffence may not seem like a big deal, every guitarist that has had the opportunity to play both will say that this makes a huge difference when you are playing during long periods of time.

The cut-out is the second and main reason the Strat is such a popular model. It is the bit under the neck of the guitar towards the higher notes. As you could notice there is no wood present (as opposed to the Les Paul). This greatly improves high note action and playability. Something to keep in mind for some, redundant detail for others. Truth is it made the Stratocaster one of the best selling models of all time.

Little fact: Leo Fender quit Fender (due to an influction and disagreements with other stakeholders in Fender company) and started Music Man once he had been cured. After selling Music Man, he founded another new company together with George Fullterton called G&L (after George and Leo).

This company has since produced guitars according to the vision of Leo Fender and his companion and has become a brand that has also been producing Stratocaster-like guitars.  

Round up: If you ever wonder which feel is best, there is no real answer. You will just have to try them both and see which you like best. It mainly depends on what tone you are looking for and what other preferences you might have (playability, weight, sustain, aesthetics, etc.) .

Tone

As stated earlier on, what makes these guitars legends is the sound they produce. They are both great guitars, and just looking on YouTube for the differences in tone will probably be a bad idea. YouTube is very handy, but also compresses. A lot. 

So, it would be better to find out the differences in tone by looking on other websites and maybe even head over to your nearest guitar shop and give them a go.

Not only the way they are shaped makes the very different. They also use different kinds of pick-ups.

I am not going to go too much in-depth as far as pick-ups are concerned as I assume you know what advantages single-coils have over humbuckers and the other way around. 

I would however like to say that it is really important later on to decide which you like better, because certain effects as well as amps cope with one better than the other. I will mention which cope with which better in separate reviews, but it is something worth noting.

That is why I am giving you a last bit of advice in this article: do not buy an effect or amp, simply because your favourite artists uses them.

Unless you are willing to completely recreate their rigs, the best thing you could do is at least try them before you buy, since you might find out that that effect does not sound that great on your current amp with your guitar, etc.

As always, please leave a comment down below if you have any further questions.

Great guitarists on YouTube

ROCK N ROLL

Kobiba
an incredibly talented guitarist who absolutely nails Slash's tone. If you do not know him yet and are into Guns 'n Roses and other rock legends, he is definitely worth checking out.

ROCKABILLY

MyTwangyGuitar
This man gets great tones from his Telecaster and has guitar lessons on his channel. Very interesting if you are into Chuck Berry and similar artists.

JAZZY, BLUESISH

Gregor Hilden
A great player if you are into all kinds of jazz, blues and everything in between. He is best know for his huge collection of guitar reviews.

OTHERS

Kasper Falkenberg
This talented Danish artist surprises me time and time again thanks to his tone and creativity.

He covers pretty much every music genre out there but unfortunately, his best performances are the ones that are not on his official channel.
My favourite video of his is him jamming with the TC Electronic Ditto Looper.
A pedal I will cover soon :)

Bjorn Riis

This Viking from Norway has been the biggest tone inspiration for me personally, since he is a Pink Floyd guru, has a great website ( go to gilmourish.com ) and his David Gilmour-like tones are just great!

Make sure to check him out on YouTube.

Any suggestions or requests? Please post them below.

Introduction

Dear readers,

As this is my first post on a completely new blog, please allow me to introduce myself.

My name is Alexander De Lancker, I am a huge audiophile as well as guitar fan. I have been playing myself for about a decade and during that period I have been asked how I get my tone, and how other people could get this or that tone themselves. I have noticed that more and more people are asking and wondering how to create a great setup (pedalboard, guitar, etc.). So that is what I am going to do the next months and (hopefully) years to come.

I am going to share with you my tips, tricks and knowledge to get exactly the tone you want based on your preferences.

How?

The next few months, I hope to cover enough material to suffice to both the beginners and more advanced players. I hope to show you my own gear as well as giving you insights and knowledge about how to create tone, how to keep it and how to improve it.

I will also share some great websites with you and I will also try to give my opinion about some of the articles I read about new and existing products on the market.

Why?

I have been using the internet for years for a primary source to create my tone, but there are a lot of sites out there that do not cover what might actually be of use for you.

That is where I hope to step in. I would like to pass on my knowledge and answer your questions directly.

It does not matter whether it is one person who reads this or hundreds of people. I just want to make a difference for the people that are looking to improve their tone, setup etc.

When?

I am a very busy man, so I cannot promise you anything, but I will try to post an article myself every month (and more likely every 2 weeks) and I will comment and pass on websites every time I get to something new to cover.

I will try to answer questions within 48 hours as I know how frustrating it is to wait for an answer :)

So there you go,

I hope that I will be able to help you out with your pressing questions

and I will see you soon in my very first article!