romanianreaper
Well-known member
I just got from a trip up to Sweetwater Gearfest. I went to see some friends primarily, so didn't spend a ton of time there, but had a good time! Not sure if anyone else was up there but figured I'd mention a few things.
First things first, I was surprised how packed it was compared to two years ago when I went. Felt like double the amount of people but not sure of numbers. I was talking to one of the Sweetwater employees and he even said he couldn't believe how many people were there. With that said, there are so many tents and things to do outside that you don't feel overwhelmed really unless you are in the cafe'. Even in there not horrible at all.
My first stop obviously was to see my childhood friend Mr. Keeley. He had alot of his newest pedals out and obviously his Supro collaboration amp so we talked about some gear and funny stories about wearing eyeliner in high school in the 80s, etc. He had a one of a kind Supro guitar there that they made for him so people were plugging in and playing with that. People were getting some killer sounds thru his gear. One funny moment was when we were talking and someone was "playing" but basically it was feedbacking like crazy with too much gain and Robert goes "oh yeah, that's the sound. That is exactly what people come to hear." Sarcasm at it's finest. LOL! Is always good seeing my bud and even got some "Keeley" matches, stickers, and other goods.
Since Robert was busy with pedal goons I headed over to the Friedman area. When I first got there Dave wasn't around but ended up coming by after that. They had the JJ Jr. setup with a Friedman guitar, so obviously I had instant wood and ran over there before anyone else could get there. I didn't get to hear it really clear because some guy next to me was playing thru a BE-100 and doesn't know what a volume knob is for so slightly annoying but got to turn it up a bit. It really sounded great!! As others have mentioned, the volume difference is pretty significant between the BE and JJ settings but really nice tone. Even with the gain cranked, very usable and not flubby at all. The one word I'd use is "articulate". Every note just sticks out. I was surprised when doing a little scale and soloing, how each individual note just was so clear.
When Dave got back I told him to stop making gear because I'm running out of money and he had a good chuckle about that. One other cool thing is Dave Black was there again. Not sure if any of you remember but two years ago I met him there. He demos Friedman gear and is the guitarist in Seduce, the metal band from Detroit in the "Decline of Western Civilization Pt. II" documentary. This time I took the DVD insert with me and he signed it for me. He is always really cool and appreciative about meeting fans. Great guy.
I didn't hit every tent, etc. but did go in the Gibson tent. I grabbed a Les Paul Standard 60s 2019 and WILL be getting one of these. As soon as I picked it up, felt like an old Gibson. Not super heavy but you could feel the solid build and lack of weight relief. Still very easy to pick up and not like picking up a Custom. I almost bought one on the spot and took it home that day. If I didn't have a JJ Jr. coming soon I would have.
I checked out some PRS guitars and those were really nice. I did alot of browsing thru tents but didn't look at everything. Like I said, I was with a mutual friend of Keeley and I from high school with no knowledge of guitar anything, so didn't want to torture her the entire day. LOL. One other think I'll add. Robert was setup next to ISP so a guy was demoing the Michael Sweet pedalboard. There was some great sounds coming out of it thru the ISP speakers but I will say, I was not a fan of the Michael Sweet Stryper preset that he uses live. It was like a Schenker cocked wah tone without the Schenker if you know what I mean. It was a bit too much cocked wah tone and nasally. There were definitely some other great tones but definitely leans toward an 80s, heavy delay and reverb hair metal tone IMO.
Anyway, just my two cents. Curious if anyone else was there and saw any new stuff?
First things first, I was surprised how packed it was compared to two years ago when I went. Felt like double the amount of people but not sure of numbers. I was talking to one of the Sweetwater employees and he even said he couldn't believe how many people were there. With that said, there are so many tents and things to do outside that you don't feel overwhelmed really unless you are in the cafe'. Even in there not horrible at all.
My first stop obviously was to see my childhood friend Mr. Keeley. He had alot of his newest pedals out and obviously his Supro collaboration amp so we talked about some gear and funny stories about wearing eyeliner in high school in the 80s, etc. He had a one of a kind Supro guitar there that they made for him so people were plugging in and playing with that. People were getting some killer sounds thru his gear. One funny moment was when we were talking and someone was "playing" but basically it was feedbacking like crazy with too much gain and Robert goes "oh yeah, that's the sound. That is exactly what people come to hear." Sarcasm at it's finest. LOL! Is always good seeing my bud and even got some "Keeley" matches, stickers, and other goods.
Since Robert was busy with pedal goons I headed over to the Friedman area. When I first got there Dave wasn't around but ended up coming by after that. They had the JJ Jr. setup with a Friedman guitar, so obviously I had instant wood and ran over there before anyone else could get there. I didn't get to hear it really clear because some guy next to me was playing thru a BE-100 and doesn't know what a volume knob is for so slightly annoying but got to turn it up a bit. It really sounded great!! As others have mentioned, the volume difference is pretty significant between the BE and JJ settings but really nice tone. Even with the gain cranked, very usable and not flubby at all. The one word I'd use is "articulate". Every note just sticks out. I was surprised when doing a little scale and soloing, how each individual note just was so clear.
When Dave got back I told him to stop making gear because I'm running out of money and he had a good chuckle about that. One other cool thing is Dave Black was there again. Not sure if any of you remember but two years ago I met him there. He demos Friedman gear and is the guitarist in Seduce, the metal band from Detroit in the "Decline of Western Civilization Pt. II" documentary. This time I took the DVD insert with me and he signed it for me. He is always really cool and appreciative about meeting fans. Great guy.
I didn't hit every tent, etc. but did go in the Gibson tent. I grabbed a Les Paul Standard 60s 2019 and WILL be getting one of these. As soon as I picked it up, felt like an old Gibson. Not super heavy but you could feel the solid build and lack of weight relief. Still very easy to pick up and not like picking up a Custom. I almost bought one on the spot and took it home that day. If I didn't have a JJ Jr. coming soon I would have.
I checked out some PRS guitars and those were really nice. I did alot of browsing thru tents but didn't look at everything. Like I said, I was with a mutual friend of Keeley and I from high school with no knowledge of guitar anything, so didn't want to torture her the entire day. LOL. One other think I'll add. Robert was setup next to ISP so a guy was demoing the Michael Sweet pedalboard. There was some great sounds coming out of it thru the ISP speakers but I will say, I was not a fan of the Michael Sweet Stryper preset that he uses live. It was like a Schenker cocked wah tone without the Schenker if you know what I mean. It was a bit too much cocked wah tone and nasally. There were definitely some other great tones but definitely leans toward an 80s, heavy delay and reverb hair metal tone IMO.
Anyway, just my two cents. Curious if anyone else was there and saw any new stuff?
