Thanks very much guys!

Thanks Joom!

I think roughly 9 months or so with this singer.  I've known the lead singer for about 2 years but he didn't tell me he could sing to begin with! 

We found out by chance, an early line-up for this band had a female singer but it didn't work out due to study plans.  So we decided to go to open mic nights and perform covers to try and advertise ourselves as a backing band for a good singer.  Terry (who at the time was on bass) said he'd sing the cover songs we picked and it quickly turned out that he sounded great.  We actually got positively heckled by crowds telling us just to use him instead of looking for other people to audition, so we listened and now he's the frontman!

Turned out the only reason he didn't put himself forward was he knew the original tuning was too high for him to sing the tracks we were writing.  So we lowered it to suit his range, and job done.

1.  I like Boss pedals because to me they're the most useful design.  The pedal mechanism is nice and large so easy for me to activate, plus the controls are recessed so I'm not likely to kick/move them accidentally when switching it on.

2.  The obvious answer is the TU3 because a tuner is indispensable, however for actual pedals I really have a soft spot for the SD1.  I think I prefer it to a tube screamer and they're very cheap used!

I've had a couple of Blackstar amps and I do enjoy them.  In general they cover quite a lot of ground and are very flexible.

I've had the HT1R combo, HT60 2x12 60 watt combo, briefly had a HT100 head (it was damaged in transit so was returned), and also had the S1 104EL34.  Cabwise I've had the HT212, the Artisan 2x12 cab and the S1412B.  Also, I used to have the HT Dual pedal.  Ok, so on reflection I've had quite a bit of Blackstar gear!

Overall the HT series is good value for money.  They sound darker and a bit more compressed than the EL34 S1 heads but they're capable of quite a few good sounds, are much cheaper, and seem to be built fairly well too.  My HT60 had a power valve go fairly soon after purchase but it was replaced under warranty and it was problem free for the rest of the time I owned it.  I like the reverb they put on the HT Series and I like that some models have switchable reverb voicing.  The emulated out can be quite nice if you'd prefer to work that way than use amp sims.  I only sold it to move up to the S1s, which are a different voicing altogether.

I've never tried the ID series, but they seem to get good reviews so far!

I've recorded a couple of clips with the HT 1R and HT 60.  These are fairly old but they might be useful to someone interested in the amps.  The HT1R can go quieter than the HT60 for home use and is a little easier to dial in at that volume (especially with so few knobs!) but I felt either sounded good for home use.

HT60 ambient dynamic mid gain stuff, all gain changes are pick dynamics (stock combo speakers used, mix of SM57 and Audix i5) - https://soundcloud.com/maxmoujaes/this-journey

HT60 rock riffs (Mesa Rectifier 2x12 used, SM57) - https://soundcloud.com/maxmoujaes/half-of-a-double

HT1R heavy riff (Mesa Rectifier 2x12 used, SM57) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR0ZAtwMAJE

Hi there!

My name is Max and I play guitar in the band Ivito.  We're an original rock band based in Manchester who aim to write guitar driven music that is as fun to play as it is to listen to and sing along with.

I've been playing guitar for around 13 years now and my favourite guitars are Gibson Les Pauls and PRS CU22s.  I do however also have a soft spot for Stratocasters mostly due to Hendrix.  I like all kinds of guitar music from acoustic right up to really heavy metal.

I also enjoy recording and mixing and have been trying really hard to improve my skills lately.  I produce and mix my band's material, the only thing I've not recorded on our current tracks are the drums, which were done at a facility much nicer than my home studio.

Here's the video to our first single, I'm the guy on the left playing the blue PRS.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiSJD4m9ug0

We've currently got that track, plus another, on Soundcloud where you can download the MP3s if you wish.  https://soundcloud.com/ivito-band

Cheers!