Classic Circuit Builds

We love amplifiers at Rusty’s. They are a tool for great guitar tone and we are honored to have them represented by fine builders like Headstrong amps and Germino Amps, both hailing from North Carolina although in different regions.

Tweed amps from the 50’s have identifiable sonic qualities that folks from Keith Richards to Joe Walsh, B.B. King, Neil Young and the Edge have used on seminal recordings and are regarded with a certain reverence for their rawness and raunchy at times tones. One of these circuits is the 5E7 Bandmaster. It runs a pair of 6L6 or 5881 power tubes with a 5U4GB rectifier and three 12AX7 type preamp tubes which yields two channels Normal and Bright each running about 28W power through the Alessandro SC64 Alnico ten-inch drivers. The resulting tone has more headroom than the 1x12 5E3 style amp partly because of the larger power tubes but also due in part to the three 8-ohm speakers and the load the amp sees which creates a slight mismatch that results in a smooth overdrive when pushed.

Our builders have both meticulously assembled these circuits with modern components and timeless hand wired boards to give us the 5E7 circuit as they hear it. We are going to demonstrate the two amps for you and let you decide which one you prefer. Both sound incredible and are similar in voice. The initial overview of the amps shows them to differ with drivers. Three Alessandro SC64 AlNiCo tens are inside the Headstrong unit, the Blue Lamp 310 and the Germino 5E7 is equipped with a trio of Celestion AlNiCo Gold tens. The other obvious difference is the power tube of choice: the Headstrong with a pair of short bottle 6L6s and the Germino with a pair of 5881s. Let’s put some guitars through them and hear what we have.

Here’s our video of the Headstrong in action. We’ve paired it with an Xotic XTC-1 that has become a shop favorite.

Here’s our video of the Germino using the same song as a reference point using the same guitar and knob settings as the Headstrong for comparison.

Listen to the sounds via our podcast: Hear for the Gear……(to be posted soon…..)

Hear for the Gear Season 2

Friday March 8th, our new season kicks off with Rustomer George P as we discuss Headstrong Amps and Xotic Guitars.

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NAMM 2024 Day One

Pinch me. Seriously, NAMM is a bit overwhelming but it’s a unique situation where folks who are passionate about gear, folks who design gear, and all of the subsections of each comingle in a sonorous conglomeration of dissonance, distortion and discussions of everything in that regard.

The two days I was there went by in a blur. I met the folks from Huss & Dalton and played their acoustic guitars and had the privilege of playing a Statesboro, their single cut solid body electric which we will have available later this year at the shop.

I got to meet the man, the myth, the legend… Doug Kauer. Together we’ve designed several of the instruments in your hands and available today. It was killer to see the Kauer guitar contingent amongst the Boutique Builders area of the show. I also met the mighty fine Stephen McSwain of McSwain Guitars through a mutual friend who used to gig with me in Charleston, SC. There are so many awesome builders and we are honored to carry the likes of Kauer and Rock N Roll Relics.

Traversing the floor of the guitar area was an endeavor unto itself. The amp builders, guitar companies and accessories at the show offered new shapes, ways to implement new technology and styles to the public. TV Jones had some cool designs incorporating their pickups. We also met with LR Baggs to see about their acoustic offerings for our shop. Their Para DI and venue DI are some of the staples of live acoustic sound and we are eager to have them available at Rusty’s.

I also visited booths for Eastman, RBI Vintage, Danelectro, and Tagima. Each company had their newest models available for demo and inspection.

Day One concluded with meeting the guys at Stringjoy strings and Franklin Straps. Matthew and company at Stringjoy were so warm and welcoming. The folks at Franklin showed us new customization options for straps. Dinner was had at a busy restaurant abuzz with the attendees, vendors and buyers from the show. Day two held some great surprises, too.

Quick Pedal Board Build

As a working guitarist I find myself building one pedalboard or more a week for my jobs. This “build out” isn’t a from scratch notion as I’ve accumulated a bevy of boards from Pedaltrain and Mono over the years. The process though is useful for me because each show I play is different. The three boards here see a lot of use. The Nano uses a Cioks DC5 power unit and fits in the MONO Tick case which is great for single guitars in the MONO Vertigo bag (like the jazz gig). The larger Nano+ and Metro 16 use CIOKS and Strymon supplies and have stout bags that give me room for my board and cables and small accessories like slide and capo.

I use whichever I need to get the job done and have two Nanos, a MONO LITE, and Nano max to build on. Case in point, this week’s engagements: I have a jazz big band show Thursday evening, a hip hop show Friday night and a double header Saturday with an acoustic duo show followed by another hip hop show. Those shows all require different setups from a jazz box, full hollowbody guitar, an Xotic S style , and an acoustic guitar and mandolin for the dates. We’re going to look at the hip hop board.

We start with the Pedaltrain Nano+ which was loaded up from last week’s corporate party gig. I removed all the patch and power cabling from the Nano+ and put them beside the Metro 16 I intend to populate for this weekend’s gigs. I layout my board order- Xotic Wah-Custom Fuzz-JHS AT-NU-X SCF-EQD Dispatch Master-Polytune Mini-DSM Humboldt Simplifier. The signal chain is how I prefer to organize my tone and is what I feel sounds best for me.

I then patch everything into the board and do a final check out of functionality prior to putting it up the case for the show. This process gets repeated for each iteration of my rig I need. For the acoustic show I’ll use a Trace Elliot Acoustic all in one pedal and may go direct into the amp for the jazz gig or I may make a nano sized board with a boost and delay.

By keeping my pedals organized I can utilize them to their potential and keep myself ready for the next job. Stop by Rusty’s and see how we can help you use your pedals and board to it’s fullest potential.

SC-5 Headstrong Amps

In our third installment of 5W amps available at Rusty’s Cool Guitars we delve into the tones found in Headstrong Amp’s SC-5 combo. This 12 inch Alessandro equipped amp has a full tone stack with a mids knob that augments the range of this little fire breather. Alex Carbonell plays through the amp with a board using Acorn Amps, Earthquaker Devices and uses both an Xotic XSC Pro-2 and Kauer Korona for the demonstration.

The 5W Amp Shootout

Here at Rusty’s, we love small amps. We are starting a series of episodes featuring several of our low wattage offerings here at the shop. Our friend Zach Patton dropped by and played through the Laney Lionheart L5T using a Kauer Starliner Jr. He gives us examples of the tones available in the amp and shares how he’d use it for his live gig work. Listen up and subscribe to our podcast to get every episode as they drop. This one is available for consumption September 1st ‘23.

Episode: 5W Laney

We’re Podcasting

That’s right. We’re starting a podcast for our customers. Check out episode one- Meet David

Our YouTube Page

Our Saturday Series has taken off and we are eager to share the music with you, our customers via our Youtube channel . Be sure to subscribe to our channel for all the latest news and happenings at Rusty’s Cool Guitars. Follow the links below to see our guests:

7 Feet of Soul & Chris Roberts

And our Staff Jamming out

The Saturday Series

At Rusty’s we are part of the local music scene and provide a spot for resident musicians to share their musical creations with the folks who shop at Rusty’s. The Saturday Series hosts three local acts on the stage outside our shop. We provide P.A., instruments and a live stream of the show on our Youtube channel. We are looking forward to the second one coming up on August 5th from 12- 1:30 PM. We hope all of you can make it and check out the tunes from Thomas Champagne, 7 Feet of Soul, and Chris Roberts.

Space Age Tone

At Rusty’s we offer a variety of amplification options because each player has power and tone palettes that are unique. Swart Amps from North Carolina provide Rusty’s customers with different wattage options and cabs. The Space Tone Reverb or STR is a 5W tube amp with spring reverb and a 12 “ speaker inside a very dapper tweed covered cabinet. The STR-Trem adds swirling bias vary tremolo to the circuit and both amps have a three way voicing switch to better compliment whatever instrument is being played. The MOD84 and Antares Master both have higher wattage ratings but the same reverb and tremolo options. Lastly, the king of them all, the Atomic Space Tone Pro has a Celestion Creamback speaker and the ability to swap between 6L6 or 6V6 power tubes and run an extension cabinet to the @22W power section of this stylish dark tweed covered amp. Built in the USA and yeilding great tones at any volume level all the Swart amps in stock at Rusty’s are ready to launch your playing into the space age and beyond.

G&L

Leo Fender’s legacy in electric guitar can not be denied. From the creation of the first bolt on neck guitars, the tweed, brown, black and silver face era amplifiers and the first electric bass with frets his impact was enormous. Upon selling the Fender brand in the 60s to CBS, Leo Fender embarked on another musical venture with Music Man. Leaving that endeavor he started G&L Guitars with George Fullerton, hence the name George & Leo (G&L). The guitars he designed incorporated updates to his other designs as he saw the possibility for improvement.

We are honored to carry G&L guitars and basses at the shop. We carry Fullerton Deluxe and Tribute models and can order anything you want from their assortment of bolt on designs. Come by and try one out today.

Daily Care

Most mornings start with a cup of coffee, a quick moment with the cat and a few minutes with whichever guitar I have out at the time. This daily communion of strings and flesh making musical noises affords me the opportunity to play shows and use my instrument for it’s purpose: to make music. Like our cars, guitars need maintenance.

This can be as simple as a wipe down of the body after a session, a changing of old worn strings or as complex as cleaning the potentiometers in a hollow-body electric guitar. All of these tasks, while mundane at times, are necessary for us to get the best from our gear. Fresh strings are more responsive to your input. A cleaner action and quiet rotation of the pot equal on less thing to make noise or go bad on you during a gig. Solid output jack wiring, snug strap buttons, we check these things on your instrument as if it were our own. A reliable instrument is a great tool for creating.

At Rusty’s we offer these services with the option for same day service*. From string changes to electronics installation, parts assembly into a final guitar, tune ups and set ups. We provide these for our customers so they can get the best out of their gear. Come by the shop today and let us get your guitar the care it needs.

*must be brought in before 2PM to be picked up by 6PM weekdays ONLY

Playing Out

As a working musician you need to be prepared for anything at your gig. Being well prepared and packing efficiently for the job is key to enjoying the opportunity you have to perform and share your music. As a musician who has worked from Nashville to San Francisco and been playing shows for the better part of 30 years I have a few things I have for the jobs I do musically. We can think of these as three different parts of your gear for the gig: your mental preparation, your gear preparation and your professional preparation.

It all starts with being asked to play for some one: a venue, your place of worship, a party, etc.

Practice for the gig.

You need to have music selections in your hands, under your fingers and ready to perform without hesitation. Spend time knowing all the parts of your songs, your setlist, and any keys or song changes your band mates have worked into the music. 90% of the show happens at home in learning, practicing and knowing the material you intend to play. With a solid knowledge of the tunes you’re going to play you can then focus on what you need to take for the gig.

Pack for the gig.

You don’t need a 4x12 cab and 100W head for most coffee shop gigs. You probably don’t need four guitars for a 45 minute show. Some common sense goes a long way. If you’ve never been to the venue you’re playing use online resources to see what the load in and parking area looks like. Bringing what you need in the simplest form is always best. I have some road rules for shows outside of where I live but for now we’re going to consider what to bring for a local gig at a brewery.

You’ve been hired as a solo musician for the afternoon crowd. What you bring should be something you’re comfortable using, carrying to/from car to locations and reliable. Your guitar, a solid strap, tuner, cables, pedalboard, etc. should all be in reliable gig worthy shape. An extra set of strings, back up cable, batteries, mic and mic stand stowed in the boot of your car can be lifesavers when your normal gear fails during a gig. You bring what you need to get the show done. An example of what I would pack for this type of show includes:

• PA- sound column or powered speaker with a tripod stand are good options for a soloist or even duo.

• Music Stand/Ipad holder these are practical ways to get your music notes/notation to the gig and in an easy to use format for you.

• Small Mixer-a 4-8 channel mixer for vocals, guitar and any other instrumentation or even background music for breaks.

• Guitar and extra strings, cables, capo, picks, straps.

• Tip jar/Venmo QR code-pay always makes the gig more fun.

• Mic and Guitar stand

If you’re in a band you may be bringing an amp and your pedalboard or other instrumentation and again you should pack accordingly. I have invested in a hand cart that affords me enough space to get my PA, mixer, cable bucket and board in one trip to the venue. This is much easier than multiple trips to the car to retrieve items and it keeps all of my gear in front of me during load in/out.

Lastly, reach out to a contact at the venue and ask questions about load in/out, when to expect payment, parking concerns or any other pertinent questions relating to the gig including attire.

Pack your Professionalism

You’re at the gig and ready to set up and make music. Remember to be a professional at all times. This means arriving on time and acting like you’ve been there before. Everyone likes to be treated with fairness and respect. This includes interacting with the staff at the venue and the patrons. Anticipate patrons asking what kind of music you’re playing. Be ready for things to not go as planned i.e. your cable is making a bad noise when kinked a certain way during soundcheck. Check your connection and if you brought a back up, switch to it. If you are provided an engineer communicate clearly with what you need to hear and be reasonable and polite. Maintain your composure through this as you would if you forgot the words to a song. Move on and keep playing. When you make a scene over it then it becomes an issue. There are many other opportunities to not get called back to a place to play again, do your best to minimize this by being professional and responsible when performing. I’ve made many good connections with folks by being my sincere self when performing and meeting them for the first time.

By being prepared musically I can provide the best performance for my client. By being prepared with the proper rig for the gig I can make a lasting impression of being efficient, entertaining and appearing experienced. By maintaining a friendly posture through the time I arrive until I leave a gig I put my best foot forward and often get call backs from the client. These are guidelines but the best instruction is through playing as many gigs as possible to learn from the experiences they provide.

Electric Guitar Pickup Basics

Humbuckers, P-90s, single coil, gold foil-what are all these different types of pickups? Short answer-they’re all transducers that turn the vibration of a string into an electric impulse which leaves the guitar and yields the sounds we hear from the instrument. The different types have different characteristics tonally.

Single coils and P-90s are similar in function but different in form and color. A true single coil is exactly that, a coil of wire wrapped around magnets forming an inductive coil that captures the string’s vibration and turns it into classic jangle and sparkle on most single coil equipped guitars. The P-90 has a flatter, wider bobbin of wrapped wire and is known to be muscular in tone with the ability to break up and grind when the player uses a harder attack. Some great examples of single coils include our Kauer Korona and for P-90s the B&G Little Sister.

When you put a single coil alone in a guitar it usually exhibits a little bit of 60 cycle hum. When two single coils are in series they cancel out one another’s 60 cycle hum and this was put into practice with the humbucker pickup which has two single coil pickups neighboring one another inside a cover. This produces a warmer, darker tone than the single coil. Buckers tend to have a higher output than single coils and are found in both bolt on and set neck guitars. Great examples of these pickups can be found on the Heritage H-150 and 535.

We also have variations on the humbucker theme in our Harmony and Rebel Relic guitars. The Harmony guitars sport their gold foil pickups which are a throwback to student guitars of the 60s. These articulate humbuckers sound great with distortion and fuzz. The Filtertron and Rebeltron feature in the Monarch Jr and Wrangler guitars from Rock n Roll Relics. These humbuckers have a cleaner output that is perfect for surf or shoegaze and watery reverb.

The best way to hear all of these variations is to get them in your ears by stopping in a playing them here at Rusty’s.

Stompin’ Ground

For the player who wants more from their amp and guitar combo than the cable can give alone we have stompboxes, effects pedals, whatever you wish to call them.

At Rusty’s we carry Strymon, Xotic, Greer, MXR, EHX, Pigtronix, Catalinbread, and Earthquaker Devices. Each of these companies specialize in boxes that take you to the edge of your creativity.

Strymon brings technology to the tone party with their line of pedals that are all fully MIDI compatible. From the lush reverbs of the Big Sky to the decadent delays of the Timeline, the direct amp simulation of the Iridium or the crushing gains of the Sunset Dual overdrive; Strymon puts useful features and great tones at your fingertips. Their power supplies include the Zuma, R300, and Ojai. Each unit is capable of noise free power to your pedalboard.

Xotic has always had great drive pedals from the classic AC Booster, RC Booster and BB Preamp. They built upon that and created a line of mini pedals that are huge in tone and flexibility. The EP Booster, Super Sweet, Super Clean, SP Comp and SL drive all fit on smaller boards. Regular size pedals like the RC Booster V2 and Soul Driven offer options for gain. The Xotic Wah has user friendly access for controls of Treble, Bass, Q, and bias. All US designed and ready to populate your rig.

Greer originated in Athens, GA and made waves with their Lightspeed OD and Southland Harmonic OD. Since then Nick has added some other gain pedals with some amp style preamps in stomp form.

We are excited and proud to add JHS, Catalinbread and Earthquaker Devices to our arsenal of pedal carnage. They both are brands that embrace designs from the past while moving them forward with useful features and controls.

Additionally we provide pedalboard build outs at Rusty’s. For a fee we can build your existing board for a pro look and functionality or you can build a board a la carte choosing from MONO or On-Stage boards, Ernie Ball patch cables and Strymon power supplies. We’ll work with you to create your stomp masterpiece.

Harmony Guitars

At Rusty’s we love staples of good tone. From tube amps to boost pedals we like to have options that are reliable and gig worthy. Harmony guitars have been part of American music since 1892. From their acoustic guitars to the eclectic shapes of their electric guitars they have always put function and unique form forward as their contribution. The Rebel, Jupiter, Juno and Silhouette provide that aesthetic in spades. Each has Harmony’s gold foil pickups included with the three way switch for thick raucous tones. The Juno has a single push-pill volume pot to give the effect of a rolled off tone knob on the P-90 equipped instrument. You can take your Harmony every where inside the rugged and durable MONO case provided with the guitar. With ample storage space for cables, capos, mics, etc you have an all in one solution for your next show or event.

Made in the USA quality at an affordable price point with iconic looks and sounds- Harmony Guitars, available here at Rusty’s.

Shaping Your Sound

Playing guitar is an expression of yourself. Whether strumming your acoustic or rippin’ phrases on your electric you play to be inspired and say something with your musical voice. For some it’s guitar, cable, amp and some a board replete with multiple overdrives, delays, fuzzes, etc and for others it’s a modelling unit of some fashion. All of these tools get the job done and well when we use them properly.

Options are great and plentiful these days. A warm tube amp at a moderate volume and a small compliment of pedals can cover most of the tones we seek- smooth overdrive, massive crunch, splatty fuzz, and delays awash with modulated repeats. Take the sample board we built out here at Rusty’s. We used a small On-Stage travel board, five Strymon pedals and the Strymon Zuma R300 to power the incredible range of tones afforded by Strymon’s technology.

Our signal chain is straightforward with the Sunset Dual Overdrive covering our medium to heavy gain needs or if we choose the option of a JFET or a Treble Boost into the other side of the pedal to stack them or run in parallel into the Mobius, with twelve modulation machines to choose from: Chorus, Flanger, Rotary, Vibe, Phaser, Filter, Formant, Vintage Trem, Pattern Trem, Autoswell, Destroyer, Quadrature. These options can be accessed via the three toggle footswitches or like all of our V2 Strymon devices, programmed to work with your MIDI controller for scenes using all the pedals on your board simultaneously per song. We followed the expression trail to the El Capistan, tape delay unit to give us the chance for some cool slap back, saturated tape ebbing delays and some hip vibe before we enter the surfy to studio plate ethereal reverbs and soothing tremolos of the Flint. With the option to add an expression pedal one can adjust the speed of the tremolo warble or the depth of the cavernous reverb, your choice with the Strymon line of pedals opening up a realm of new tonescapes to explore.

Bring yourself to Rusty’s and try out our pedals to assemble your personal tone arsenal. We’ll have the tubes warm and ready to make sonic pictures.

Kauer Guitars

Doug Kauer is a builder from California. His shop turns out handmade electric guitars that are designed by them or in our case, custom ordered to our specs and deliver outstanding craftsmanship and tones.

His original designs include the Korona, Starliner, Electroliner, and Super Chief while the Banshee nods to an eclectic classic. Most of our builds from Kauer include Spanish mahogany bodies, locking tuners, MONO Vertigo gig bags and premium pickups from Arcane and Lollar.

We are proud to carry both his guitars and the DRS line of bamboo guitar racks for display and storage of your guitars. The DRS racks are available in four and seven space varieties and can be stacked to yield the nicest display for your instruments your space has ever seen. Come by and check out the Alpha 4 or 7 and their matching Bravo 4 & 7 counterparts today, only at Rusty’s Cool Guitars.

Maton Guitars

Maton guitars are arriving at Rusty’s in time for the upcoming holidays and we couldn’t be more excited.

Let’s clear the air on pronunciation. It’s MAY-ton. The company is based out of Australia and has been in business since 1946. Here’s something from their website:

Maton specialises in creating superbly crafted guitars from Australian timbers such as Blackwood, bunya, Queensland Maple, Queensland Walnut and now Satin Box. Bill May pioneered the use of many Australian wood species in guitar construction and is regarded by many Australian luthiers as the founding father of their industry. The Maton team are constantly investigating new materials and techniques in the pursuit of creating the world's finest guitars.

Maton has an acoustic for every style and budget. These hand built guitars bring together Australian tonewoods, construction techniques and playability in a beautiful instrument. From their streaky ebony fingerboards, Queensland maple sides and backs, and AP5 Pro Pick up system these guitars deliver quality. Their series exhibit the different woods available in their builds: The blackwood series, the EBG series, and the 75th anniversary model.

The AP5 Pro pick up system combines a high frequency mic suspended under the bridge with a piezo element under the saddle to allow the artist to combine the higher overtones and percussive tones of the top alongside the acoustic tones rendered by the piezo. This blend has a full sound for live performance and is found in every model Maton. The best part for gigging musicians is the system is powered by two AA batteries.

If you need further reason to consider a Maton for your next acoustic look at two of their signature artists: Tommy Emmanuel and Eric Johnson. Both are incredibly talented musicians who rely on Maton to provide reliable tones for their performances. We are proud to carry Maton guitars and be your local source for this awesome guitar brand. Drop by and play one.

Why Boutique?

We all are unique. From our hair color, to fingerprints, the music we love and the sounds that excite us are all different while maintaining the constant of joy derived from our experience within ourselves. At Rusty’s we explore that creativity with unique, hand built, hand wired, and carefully crafted instruments from guitars to amplifiers to pedals.

Our goal is to provide our customers with instruments that speak to their creativity and inspire them to pick up the instrument and play for the sheer pleasure of creating sonic memories. Each guitar and amp we sell is a reflection of that commitment to providing a quality product at a fair price with unmatched customer service. That’s why we offer one on one consultations for guitars, amps, pedalboards and incorporating our wares into your guitar palette so that the only limit is your imagination.

If you haven’t owned a hand made, hand built instrument you owe it to yourself to explore the possibility. From incredible brands like Huss & Dalton, Maton, Rebel Relic, Rock N Roll Relics, Kauer, Heritage and B&G to amps like Headstrong, Germino, Top Hat(COMING SOON!), and Carr; pedals from Strymon, Xotic, and Catalinbread (COMING SOON!) we bring only the best in artisan grade player friendly gear.

We bring over thirty years of live, studio, and hands on experience to the table when we work with you to find that tone you hear in your head and want to express through your choice of instrument. That’s why we do this: to encourage everyone to create and inspire each other through music.