Thank goodness we have our in-house procedures when we inspect and check in customer- owned instruments. If possible, it’s always a good idea to inspect the instrument in the customer’s presence and discuss its overall condition, making sure to list any dents, scratches and/or major damage.
1956 Gretsch Corsair, Model 6014
The Corsair evolved from the Synchromatic 100, a non-cutaway acoustic archtop. It has a 16"-wide body, large open “F” holes, the open “G” tailpiece and “T-roof” headstock logo. The body, neck and headstock are fully bound, and the rosewood fingerboard has block pearloid inlays.
Truss Rod Rescue
If it weren’t for the Truss Rod Rescue Kit (Stewart-MacDonald #5680), the fingerboard would’ve required removal, as well as the filler strip and damaged truss rod. Then there would’ve been the added prep time duplicating the rod and reassembling everything, along with possible binding rebuild and finish touchup. With many hours—and at quite an expense—I’m not convinced that this guitar would have been a good candidate otherwise. It’s really fantastic that Stew Mac has come up with a brilliant alternative for repairing a snapped truss rod.Parts List:
Hex Wrench: The cutter and threading die attach to the wrench for easy control. Cutter: Removes wood around the truss rod, exposing the rod and making room for the threading die.
Threading Die: A specially designed 10-32 die that cleans up the existing threads and cuts new thread on the truss rod.
Pilot: Guides the cutter into a 3/8" truss rod access hole for Fender guitars.
Spacers: Provide a smooth bearing surface for the truss rod nut, and cover the last few partial threads left by the die.
After I popped off the metal, half-round Gibson-style washer using my mini spatula, I was ready to attach the Truss Rod Rescue cutter to the hex wrench and give it a whirl. I used the cutter, turning clockwise to remove wood until there was 5/8" of the truss rod exposed—using only moderate pressure and letting the tool do the cutting, stopping frequently to remove wood chips from the cavity. With the wood removed, I had access to more of the truss rod and needed to create more threads. I carefully threaded the die onto the very short length of the existing threads, turning slowly and stopping when I hit resistance. From there, I continued a quarter turn, cutting new threads, then backed the die out, cleaned the threads and removed the shavings from the truss rod cavity. Paraffin was used to produce cleaner threads, making it an all-around smoother and easier job. 
We were ready for a spacer (provided in the kit) to cover the last bit of unthreaded rod and provide a metal-bearing surface, and followed that by threading on a brass traditional hex truss rod nut (Stewart-MacDonald item #1018). Using my 5/16" truss rod wrench (item #6100) with its comfortable rubberized handle, I adjusted the rod, creating .010" of relief to the fingerboard. This repair was really that simple. I was concerned that I might run into a few snags along the way, making the job just a bear … but it couldn’t have gone any more smoothly. I’ll take a little credit for reviving the truss rod, but I think this one is mostly due to the Truss Rod Rescue Kit. See you next month.
John Brown
John Brown, of Brown's Guitar Factory, is the inventor of the Fretted/Less bass. He owns and operates a full guitar manufacturing and repair/restoration facility, which is staffed by a team of talented luthiers. He is also the designer of guitar making/repair tools and accessories that are used today by instrument builders throughout the world.
brownsguitarfactory.com
info@brownsguitarfactory.com
Hotone Wong Press
Cory Wong Signature Volume/Wah/Expression Pedal
Renowned international funk guitar maestro and 63rd Grammy nominee Cory Wong is celebrated for his unique playing style and unmistakable crisp tone. Known for his expressive technique, he’s been acclaimed across the globe by all audiences for his unique blend of energy and soul. In 2022, Cory discovered the multi-functional Soul Press II pedal from Hotone and instantly fell in love. Since then, it has become his go-to pedal for live performances.
Now, two years later, the Hotone team has meticulously crafted the Wong Press, a pedal tailored specifically for Cory Wong. Building on the multi-functional design philosophy of the Soul Press series, this new pedal includes Cory’s custom requests: a signature blue and white color scheme, a customized volume pedal curve, an adjustable wah Q value range, and travel lights that indicate both pedal position and working mode.
Cory’s near-perfect pursuit of tone and pedal feel presented a significant challenge for our development team. After countless adjustments to the Q value range, Hotone engineers achieved the precise WAH tone Cory desired while minimizing the risk of accidental Q value changes affecting the sound. Additionally, based on Cory’s feedback, the volume control was fine-tuned for a smoother, more musical transition, enhancing the overall feel of volume swells. The team also upgraded the iconic travel lights of the Soul Press II to dual-color travel lights—blue for Wah mode and green for Volume mode—making live performances more intuitive and visually striking!
In line with the Hotone Design Inspiration philosophy, the Wong Press represents the perfect blend of design and inspiration. Now, musicians can channel their inner Cory Wong and enjoy the freedom and joy of playing with the Wong Press!
Reverend Vernon Reid Totem Series Electric Guitar - Shaman
Silos features six presets, tap tempo, one full second of delay time, and three voices—two of which are styled after bucket-brigade and tape-delay sounds. In the $150 price category, it’s not unusual for a digital delay to leave some number of those functions out. And spending the same money on a true-analog alternative usually means warm, enveloping sounds but limited functionality and delay time. Silos, improbably perhaps, offers a very elegant solution to this can’t-have-it-all dilemma in a U.S.-made effect.
A More Complete Cobbling Together
Silos’ utility is bolstered by a very unintimidating control set, which is streamlined and approachable. Three of those controls are dedicated to the same mix, time, and repeats controls you see on any delay. But saving a preset to one of the six spots on the rotary preset dial is as easy as holding the green/red illuminated button just below the mix and preset knobs. And you certainly won’t get lost in the weeds if you move to the 3-position toggle, which switches between a clear “digital” voice, darker “analog” voice, and a “tape” voice which is darker still.
“The three voices offer discernibly different response to gain devices.”
One might suspect that a tone control for the repeats offers similar functionality as the voice toggle switch. But while it’s true that the most obvious audible differences between digital, BBD, and tape delays are apparent in the relative fidelity and darkness of their echoes, the Silos’ three voices behave differently in ways that are more complex than lighter or duskier tonality. For instance, the digital voice will never exhibit runaway oscillation, even at maximum mix and repeat settings. Instead, repeats fade out after about six seconds (at the fastest time settings) or create sleepy layers of slow-decaying repeats that enhance detail in complex, sprawling, loop-like melodic phrases. The analog voice and tape voice, on the other hand, will happily feed back to psychotic extremes. Both also offer satisfying sensitivity to real-time, on-the-fly adjustments. For example, I was tickled with how I could generate Apocalypse Now helicopter-chop effects and fade them in and out of prominence as if they were approaching or receding in proximity—an effect made easier still if you assign an expression pedal to the mix control. This kind of interactivity is what makes analog machines like the Echoplex, Space Echo, and Memory Man transcend mere delay status, and the sensitivity and just-right resistance make the process of manipulating repeats endlessly engaging.
Doesn't Flinch at Filth
EarthQuaker makes a point of highlighting the Silos’ affinity for dirty and distorted sounds. I did not notice that it behaved light-years better than other delays in this regard. But the three voices most definitely offer discernibly different responses to gain devices. The super-clear first repeat in the digital mode lends clarity and melodic focus, even to hectic, unpredictable, fractured fuzzes. The analog voice, which EQD says is inspired by the tone makeup of a 1980s-vintage, Japan-made KMD bucket brigade echo, handles fuzz forgivingly inasmuch as its repeats fade warmly and evenly, but the strong midrange also keeps many overtones present as the echoes fade. The tape voice, which uses aMaestro Echoplex as its sonic inspiration, is distinctly dirtier and creates more nebulous undercurrents in the repeats. If you want to retain clarity in more melodic settings, it will create a warm glow around repeats at conservative levels. Push it, and it will summon thick, sometimes droning haze that makes a great backdrop for slower, simpler, and hooky psychedelic riffs.
In clean applications, this decay and tone profile lend the tape setting a spooky, foggy aura that suggests the cold vastness of outer space. The analog voice often displays an authentic BBD clickiness in clean repeats that’s sweet for underscoring rhythmic patterns, while the digital voice’s pronounced regularity adds a clockwork quality that supports more up-tempo, driving, electronic rhythms.
The Verdict
Silos’ combination of features seems like a very obvious and appealing one. But bringing it all together at just less than 150 bucks represents a smart, adept threading of the cost/feature needle.
EarthQuaker Devices Silos Multi-generational Time Reflection Delay Pedal
